I knew a family that had one child that was a bit of a goof off. He was always doing things to make people laugh. He was always doing things that ended up getting him in one kind of trouble or another. In a room full of kids that were shooting rubber bands, he's the one that would get called down to the principals office. Know any families that have a kid like that? Know any kids like that?
I know so many stories about this child....like the time he decided he wanted to see if he could make his bike fly over a fence - so he got a good fast head start way back from the fence and raced full speed ahead toward the fence and TWHUMP! - noooooo, his bike didn't fly over the fence, but he did. The bike dented the neighbors fence, his parents had to pay for it and he had to work to pay his parents back. I don't think he'll try that again - at least without a ramp.
Or the time he wanted to see how close to a wood fence he could ride his bike and at what speed - Youser!! Can you say slivers down the whole left side of his body.
This was the child that had a soft heart for lost or homeless animals - somehow his parents seemed to end up with all his foundlings though. A friend asked this kid once if he'd watch his puppy while he went on a trip. The dude never came back.
Then there was the time he asked his mom if he could have some M & M's. It was close to dinner so of course she said , "No!" Well it was his turn to empty the dishwasher and the bowl of M & M's was just sitting on the counter calling his name. Remember he had a soft heart so he had to answer that call and he popped some M & M's in his mouth - just as his mom was coming into the kitchen. So to hide the mouthful of M & M's he bends down real quick over the opened dishwasher and the two pronged fork sticking up stabs him in the forehead. What are the odds on that one?
Another time he was helping his mom with dinner. She asked him to get the ground beef and put it in a bowl. This sounds pretty simple, right? Well it was a little too simple, too boring for this kid - so he picks up the plastic bag the ground beef is in and he starts swinging it around real fast - like a cowboy with a lasso only faster and all of a sudden the bag flies out of his hand goes sailing across the room right in front of his dad and hits the wall with a thud and slowly slides down the wall to land on the floor. Meanwhile, the kids eyes are about as wide open as they can possibly get - for two reasons - first his dad almost got hit with a 2 pound bag of flying ground beef and second he can't believe how totally cool and funny that was. The kid looks at mom, mom looks at the kid, they both look at dad. Dad is not amused and opts to just step away from the ground beef. Good call! When Dad is gone, mom and the kid go hysterical. It was totally cool and funny!! I am actually laughing about again as I relay the story.
If you haven't guessed, I am the mom and the kid is one of my 3 sons. These things happened many, many years ago and we still laugh about them. He could have gotten in trouble for each one of these goofball incidents. We could have said things that would have humiliated him and given him a complex, but we chose not to sweat the small stuff. Did we discuss the incidents, yes. But did we scold or condemn, no! This was our kid just being himself - a little nutty, a little adventurous, a little goofy and loads and loads of fun. And just look at the memories he created for us. Seriously, I could write a book! My husband swears his hair is still brown because he doesn't know half the stuff our kids did.
As parents I think we have to make judgment calls on how to handle the things our kids do. Look at how it affects the child and others. Look at the motivation behind the incident. Look at it in the grand scheme of things. There are so many really big issues that come up as children grow up - like staying pure, avoiding drugs and alcohol and so on. Know what? - flying ground beef just isn't worth making a fuss over. Save your sweating for the Big Stuff.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24
"The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction." Proverbs 16:21
"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction." Proverbs 16:23
"Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." Proverbs 16:32
Once a goof ball always a goof ball!!
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