As per every Monday, we get the kiddos after school, but pick up E and J-Boy early for the whole day. I look forward to Mondays like you wouldn't believe. Those two little rascals are something else. Anyhoo...
We had lunch with A's grandma and the kiddos at Spaghetti Warehouse - um, the kids eat a three course meal for $1.99. That's right. A buck and 99 pennies. And the adult portions are more like family-size globs of food...so leftovers? Yep.
Oh, they have this little mechanical crane candy machine there...sweet! For fifty cents, they give you three tries to amass as much random candy and - Chinese finger cuffs. Really? - as you can. E walked away with a beanie full of stuff. Yes, he kept his stuff under his beanie. On his head.
J-Boy got some candy and a leap frog, but he really liked this other game where you have to disprove the laws of gravity and inertia to win anything other than a gumball, so...yea, that game didn't work so well.
And....then we went home and we played Legos for a hundred hours until it was time for A to get the rest of the gang from school. She left. I did some work. The two tiny ones took a two hour nap. Ah, silence...
I woke them up around the time everyone got back home and we had Thanksgiving Dinner, Part 4: Leftovers from the Picked-Overs. The kids liked that they technically still got to celebrate the holiday with us through reheated food, so it was a score. And, after dinner, the kids spread throughout the house as usual.
M and Lil' B got tractor-beamed in front of the TV.
J-Boy and G assumed the Xbox playing position.
E was on a special Lego mission.
and...
I helped Lil' A and J-Girl continue their project: the boy's Christmas present. I'd tell you what it is, but that'd so spoil the surprise. Duh.
I did that for a bit as the boys called my name throughout the house in search of me until I felt my presence was needed elsewhere...and that was playing keep-away with the boys using a beanie baby bear of G's. All was kosher until....the incident occurred. Dun. DUN. DUNNNNNN!
Things were getting a little heated - literally, the temp upstairs was like 100 plus twenty! - when G, who gets a little aggressive at times, a lot of the time, pulled the old drop-kick move to J-Boy's stomach. I called an immediate "time out!" And then set out to rectify the situation, but G - who can be stubborn - isn't one to want to apologize to anyone, nor admit to any wrong-doings he may be a part of. So...
When we then encouraged him to do so in a "parently manner," he got hurt. Upset. Offended. Bottom line: his pride had to take a back seat and he, nor his tear ducts, liked that idea. He then blamed us - namely, me - for his being upset, rather than focusing on the instigating issue that brought whole upset-ness about in the first: In this instance: his foot to J-Boy's gut.
What got me even more tiffed, was G's elated reaction when he saw that he inflicted pain. On purpose.
I get that some behavior is learned.....
......some is instinctive....
...but, have no fear, dear readers...I'm gonna be quick to snuff out that smoke before it starts fire. G is such a great kiddo, but his attitude will get him in trouble if he's not careful. And therein lies my job as a role model. To help prevent things like that from ever happening.
Will I succeed 100% of the time? Not a chance. Will I continue to try and correct his behavior when and if he stumbles again...and again? Put your lunch money on it!
I want these kiddos to rock the WWJD lifestyle. What is "WWJD" you may be asking? It's "What would Jesus Do?" Great question and even greater philosophy to try and live by. Not always easy, but it's always right.
No comments:
Post a Comment