“Mommy, I didn’t let it out,” 3 year old Andrew tells me matter of factly.
All too familiar with the topics my kids enjoy discussing, my mind immediately went to toots. I assumed that he had smelled a toot and wanted me to know that he wasn’t the one who had “let it out.”
Probing deeper, I asked him, “You didn’t let WHAT out, Buddy?”
“The mean words I almost said to Henya.” (His adorable nickname for Harrison.)
Suddenly, it all clicked.
AYAHHHHAYAYHHHHA!!!!! (This is me shrieking with delight. And dancing around for joy.)
Andrew, bless his heart, has had a lot of chats with me lately about self-control. I’ve been explaining to him that self-control is something that we can’t do by ourselves. It’s something that we can only show when the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts. And it is portrayed when there is something bad that we want to do or say, but instead of doing it or saying it, we decide to keep it inside instead. We decide to not “let it out.”
No doubt, Andrew and I have not had our last conversation about self-control. But today I am going to celebrate this accomplishment with him. Isn’t that how parenting goes? Taking things one baby step at a time, one day at a time? Knowing that after one hurdle is jumped, a new one will appear in our lane soon after, but instead of focusing on the one not yet in view, rejoicing over the one that we have cleared?
Forgetting about the tidying up I had been doing, I ran to him, hugged and kissed him and shrieked about how proud of him I was. We prayed right there on the floor, thanking God for the self-control He had allowed Andrew to demonstrate. Even if just for the moment.
colorfulmama 