When I was a teacher we- meaning myself and my teammates- used to make “excuses” for every crazy day we had in our classrooms. There was a full moon last night, the kids had cookies at lunch, it was the day before or after Halloween, Christmas break is close, and my favorite - spring fever. At the time, these all seemed like valid excuses for our kids’ behavior being just a little out of whack.
I’m not sure whether or not they were valid, but I’m certain they were excuses. We didn’t allow them to get away with the misbehavior; there were still consequences. I’m not sure what we were really accomplishing with the excuses. Maybe it was more about making ourselves feel better. (It couldn’t be that we were off our game on control so there must be a reason for the craziness.)
Looking back now, I’m more aware of how we shouldn’t have made excuses- for them or for ourselves. Really, is there any good excuse for misbehavior? Making the choice to misbehave is just that- a choice. There are no excuses. It’s not someone else’s fault. It’s not because of a full moon or too much sugar. There may be scientific validity to how those things affect us physically, but we still have a choice in whether or not to exhibit self-control.
I am a strong believer in personal responsibility, and have had to work hard to teach that to my own children. Teaching our children to “own up” to their mistakes is one of the pillars of building character; character that lines up with Scripture.
2 Corinthians 5:10- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
The first step we can take as parents in the direction of helping build character in our kids is to stop making excuses for their misbehavior or bad choices. If we don’t make excuses, they are much less likely to make them, and conversely more likely to take ownership of their choices.
This Week’s Announcements:
Mom/Son Game Night: Moms, this is your chance to let that hidden tom-boy come out - or at least show your competitive edge- as you enjoy a night of fun with your son. Come join us for this year’s Mom/Son Game Night- Friday, March 20th, 6:30-8:30pm. Registration is required for planning, and the cost is only $5 per family. Moms of all ages, and boys aged 4years old-5th grade may attend. Register by visiting www.signupgenius.com and searching under penny@stonebridgemarietta.org. *REGISTRATION CLOSES AT MIDNIGHT, TUESDAY, 3/17.
What God is Teaching Us:
This section will have links to the previous Sunday’s lessons. Feel free (I encourage it!) to open, read, and review with your children. Click on the links below to view March lessons.
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Amazing Things Kids Do and Say…
The BIG45 boys were discussing the gospel of Luke. During the conversation, we talked about how one thing Luke emphasized was the humanity of Jesus. Each boy shared his understanding of that concept by sharing something they read in Luke. One guy was describing Jesus in the temple at age 12. This led us into a discussion about what Jesus may have been like as a kid just a little older than all of them. The same boy posed a series of questions/observations which made us all laugh.
“Since Mary had other kids, Jesus had siblings- right?” (Yes)- “Okay…and Jesus was perfect…He never did anything wrong, right?” (Yes again) “Man, that would stink to have a brother who was perfect all the time! Like, you and your brother are fighting, and your mom walks in. You point and say, ‘Jesus did it!’ Then your mom says… ‘Yeah- no He didn’t- He’s perfect!’”
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