Deeper.

So yesterday and today have both been teaching/learning experiences for my poor little three year old. Yesterday evening John wanted all of us to come down to the (empty) pool to help sweep out the debris and bag up the leaves that were in the bottom so that he could start power washing soon. Sounds like a ton of fun for little boys, right?? Well, it probably WOULD'VE been if someone knew how to obey. Brayden thought the empty pool was like a great big playground - free to run!! Of course it's sloping ground and CONCRETE!!!! We asked him, told him, yelled at him NOT TO RUN. But boys are boys and run he did. Fall he did. Cry he did. *sigh* So we had to get out of the pool and come home. He proceeded to get bandaids on his knees (I all better now Mommy) and have a stern lecture on WHY Mommy and Daddy should be listened to. Obviously it all sunk in really deeply because today we had all the same issues again. Brayden wants to go to the park? Okay - let's do that! It sounds like fun. But before we could get there, guess who disobeys more than Jonah!!!!! Yeah, that'd be my lovely son. So we skip the park and just do errands instead. On the way home, Brayden asked why he didn't get to go to the park. The ensuing conversation included big words like "privilege" and "consequences." We tried very hard to preschool-down the conversation so that he could understand. I told John after it was all over that it wouldn't be so frustrating if I didn't have to reiterate this one million times a day (or perhaps an hour). But tonight as I sat refelcting on my frustration toward this energetic little creature that has problems listening, I realize that I am no better at all. And I should know better because I've heard the lesson for 30 years as opposed to his three. I can't even begin to imagine how frustrated God must be with me everyday... and then the next thought is obviously... how many privileges have I missed out on??? So conclusion: Not to just work on Brayden's obedience, but instead to work on obedience WITH Brayden.