Some mornings be like….
So I admit, I’m still bribing my boys to behave in the mornings with the reward of a small piece of candy. They pick it out and then I hold onto it until they reach the final destination. If they are (relatively) good from wake up to drop off – I slip it into their lunch as they walk away.
Say what you will but it works!
Except for today…
Today only one child earned his treat. The other two boys fought over literally everything from the time they exited the car. “He got my water bottle. I didn’t want him to do that!” and “He got in my way while I was getting his water bottle. He shouldn’t do that.” Sigh.
All the way to my office and back out across the parking lot to their school, they got in each other’s way. They wouldn’t let each other talk. They whined and complained about being corrected, and they blamed each other for everything. “I’m just putting my backpack on my shoulders,” one said as he was reprimanded for swinging it just close enough to brush against his brother. “I don’t know why he’s upset.”
The whole ordeal was only ten minutes long but it felt like an eternity to walk them over to school and talk to them about why they weren’t getting a reward. Admittedly, the whole thing was maybe a bit amusing to onlookers. After all, it seems we like to watch fights like this for entertainment value.
It was, however, my least favorite start to a morning.
I wanted to wish them well for their day and give them extra hugs and tell them that I was sure they’d do great. I wanted to drum up their excitement about all the possibilities ahead. Instead, however, I was just a simple referee of a meaningless fight.
So my prayer this morning is for less bickering and more good conversation and positive movements forward for all of us. Let us find a way to not waste time getting in each other’s way and instead invest time in making positive movement forward. May God give us the grace of an empathetic ear and an open heart to one another. Lord knows we need it.
