Hard Lessons to Learn

As much as E hates to be punished, I hate doing the punishing much, much more! Today was no exception. I won't go into the details, but both E and I learned some huge lessons today.

The first lesson E had to learn is a common one, but very important. The most important thing is that he took responsibility. He knew that it would mean trouble, and he could've denied the situation, but he didn't. He handled himself like such a little man (I say "little man" because I still refuse to think about him actually being a real man someday), and apologized for his mistake.

I was so proud of him! It was really hard to watch him struggle and admit that he had done something wrong, but what I learned is that by helping him taking responsibility, he ended up feeling pretty darn good about himself. The fact that I took the time to TELL him how proud I was of him for taking responsibility, and that I loved him no matter what was worth more than any punishment I could have handed down.

It is so hard to always know the right way to handle these situations. You want your kids to know that what they did was wrong, and to learn from their mistakes, but let's face it, we all make mistakes. Sometimes we make the same mistakes over and over again. Our kids will too. The most important thing is taking responsibility for these mistakes. In the end, that is the lesson I think I was actually able to teach E today!

The lesson I was reminded of is how important my words and actions can be to my son. He needed me to tell him that I love him and that I am proud of him. I am so thankful that I recognized that in the moment.

Lesson learned! Today was a good day!
LaMomma