My kids can be known to leave their things out, neglecting to put them away, at times leaving them in terrible places. As you can imagine, this can be incredibly frustrating for me, and them.
Just yesterday, Todd had accidentally broken something of Roger's because it was left it on the floor of the garage. Roger was upset, but I hoped that it would be a good learning lesson for him.
When Roger left his headphones on the floor of the garage today, I knew that my hopes were not fulfilled. Todd asked Roger to move his headphones, only to find later that Roger only moved them to where the door lead into the house. Frustrated, Todd hid the headphones and came up with a plan.
Todd decided to tell Roger that he had stepped on and broken his headphones. Though it wasn't truthful, I supported this plan for I hoped that it would help Roger learn.
Roger's reaction to the news of his headphones being broken was, as I had anticipated, very dramatic. He wailed and cried. It was the worst news ever.
Todd and I both calmly had discussions with Roger, discussions that helped Roger to see that the accountability of the broken headphones rested on him for not putting them away. Eventually Roger calmed down, and though still sad, understood it was because of his own folly. He started going throughout the house, picking up his things, not wanting them to be destroyed.
Because of his change of attitude, we decided that it was time to let Roger know that his headphones were actually not broken. Todd gave Roger his headphones as he explained that he had done this to teach Roger a lesson.
Without malice, or any sort of attitude or teasing, Roger sincerely and lovingly inquired, "When are you going to repent?" concerned about the lie Todd had told.
Lesson learned.
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