When Your Child’s Behavior is an Embarrassment

I just received a call from my child’s school. It was not a he’s-doing-such-a-great-job call, but instead a he-made-a-very-poor-choice phone call.

Everything inside of me wants to listen to the lies of the enemy.

– You are a horrible mom.
– You don’t pay enough attention to him.
– And you speak at conferences on the topic of  parenting?
– How embarrassing!

But I am choosing right now to turn this into an opportunity of discipline and encouragement.

Discipline

Friends, my son has a solid foundation in self-control, respect, and obedience, but every day he has to make a choice. For whatever reason, today he chose the wrong one.

I can made excuses and blame the school, or I can praise God that the stakes are low and my child can learn from this if it is handled well.  I can bury my head in the sand or look at this as an opportunity to add another layer of what it means for him to deny self and obey God.  

Encouragement

Now for some encouragement.

God hasn’t left me in this moment. He knew about the phone call before I received it. And I have every confidence that He will give me the words to say to my son and an appropriate consequence to help him understand that his poor choices negatively affect him and those around him.

Some of you believe that perfect parenting results in perfectly behaved children. But let’s remember that God is a perfect Father and we make poor choices on a daily basis. We are sinful creatures in need of a perfect God.  And this is one more opportunity to remind Little Man that he is a sinner in need of a Holy God’s love, forgiveness, and salvation. 

Yes, it is imperative to give our children firm boundaries. But, they will shake even the firmest boundaries from time to time to make sure that they are firm. It doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong. Actually, it means you are probably doing something very right.

So, the next time you are at the park or a playdate and have to leave early because of a child’s poor choice, don’t hang your head. The next time your child lies to you, look at it as an opportunity.

Feel that tight hug from your Savior because you have been given another moment to teach your child how to love God and love others.

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