Choices and Consequences

I try to teach my kids that for every choice there is a consequence. And not all consequences are bad, there are just consequences.

Today we went to my mom's house. She is so sweet to watch my kids while I run over to one of her neighbors and do a hair cut. I got done and told the kids it was time to go. Micah helped Mason out to the car (it is so nice to have extra hands at those moments of strapping 3 kids in) and I got Luella in her carseat. I kept on telling Sam that we needed to go home, and she kept on telling me that she didn't want to come. I told her that we had to go see Dad and have dinner, and she told me that she wanted to eat dinner at Grandma B's house. My mom leaned over and told me to give her one more chance, or tell her one last time that I was leaving and then just leave. So I told her that I was going to go over to the neighbors for a second (to show off my adorable 3 month old), then I was going to put Lu in the car and if Samantha wasn't in the car I was not going to wait for her; I was just going to leave.

Well, I went and did my showing off, and I came back to the car and Samantha wasn't in. So what did I do? I pulled out and drove away. I got home and we had dinner, my visiting teachers came over and about 7:30 Samantha got home. My mom brought her in and got her in her jammies and my mom slipped out before I had a chance to ask her how it all played out. Sam didn't seem to be phased by any of it. She just went right to bed.

I called my mom and apparently as I was backing out Micah had gone in and told Samantha that mommy was leaving. She tried to hurry and get her shoes on and her jacket, but by the time she got outside I was already gone. My mom said she came in with a frown on her face and her eyes were welling up with tears, but my mom didn't make a big deal about it. Samantha asked Grandma to take her home, but my mom said she couldn't right then, cause she was making dinner. Sam sat as everyone ate, but she didn't want to eat. (my brother Taylor gave her a hard time at dinner, what are uncles for?!) During dinner she asked if Grandma would take her home, but she said she couldn't because she was eating dinner, but she would in a bit. Samantha kept on asking, and saying that she wanted to go home and eat dinner with her family.

My mom told me that on the way home she talked to Sam about choices and consequences. It wasn't a bad consequence that she had to stay at Grandma's, but since she chose to not listen she didn't get to eat dinner with her family and she didn't get to spend time with her dad. She had to come right home and get in her jams and go to bed.

I just love these little life's lessons!!!! I love it even more that Ben and I aren't the only ones teaching them to our kids. I love it when my mom steps in and helps me out with the tough lessons. (there have been plenty of times where the kids have been put in time out. One time while Heather was visiting from Ohio, Samantha, Mason, and Martha all got in trouble and had to go out and sit on the back porch. It was the cutest and funniest thing ever to see them sit there and wait to be invited back into the house)

Thanks mom for helping me teach Sam about listening and obeying right then. I'm sure she loved staying a little bit longer at your house. We love you!!!!!