My sweet boy

“Mommy, I was not a good listener today, I was a bad boy.” 

These are the words that come out of my three year olds mouth nearly every day now.  They break my heart.  His misbehavior confirmed by his daycare provider, and now I am apparently, that mom.  The mom who has the defiant kid that makes you wonder if there is any discipline in their home.  The mom who has the kid who is acting up, and constantly in trouble at daycare.  I know she was exaggerating, but apparently today my sweet boy had "150 timeouts".

I tell my sweet boy that he is always a good boy, he just made the bad choose to not listen today.  He promises me that he will listen and choose to be good tomorrow.  Somehow I think we will repeat this conversation nearly everyday for the next long while.

I wish I could help him understand as he is searching for his independence, that not following instructions can be dangerous. 

I wish he could understand the cool things he misses out on when he misbehaves.

I wish that I could help him understand that willing submission to the right authority is a good thing, and it makes our lives better.

How in the world do you make that a tangible concept to a three year old?

For now, we just try and bribe reward him, when he makes the right choice, we praise him when he willingly chooses do the right thing.  Pray for him, and try and help him understand that sometimes you get to do what you want, and sometimes you have to follow others.

I think he has too much of me in him.

We may be in serious trouble.

You see, I so often choose to not listen to God.  I, even though I know full well he has my best interest at heart, choose to go my own way, and not listen.

Yet somehow, He is still patient with me, and lets me learn, and makes me remember...willing submission to the right authority (His all-knowing, all-powerful perfect authority) is a good thing, and it makes our lives better.

May the Lord grant me patients as I learn this concept and try and teach it to my son.