Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Out Of The Mouths Of (My) Babes


Do your children ever teach you a lesson? Do they come up with something you know in your 
heart is something you SHOULD have been all over in the first place? 

Yeah, me too! 

It happened (again) tonight, and I figured I should share it with you. 

So - You know how people get grumpy sometimes around the holidays
They get rushed, they can be short, and even sometimes flat out rude. There are times, 
I think especially this time of year- when you are out running errands- minding your own 
business and taking care of life's little details - you can run into
 folks who are down right ornery. It can leave a bad taste in your mouth.
It can even mess with your Christmas mo-jo! 

Know what I mean? 

Well - tonight the boys and I ran to Sam's Club 
(one of my favorite places) 
to pick up things we need. I was feeling grateful that we were able to get them. 

And then we arrived at the exit door. 
The one where the guard  employee stands to check you out and make sure 
your cart matches your receipt. 
I don't know about everywhere else but- At OUR Sam's Club - 
they usually draw a smiley face on the receipt if the kids are there. 
For some reason - known only to them - this has become a BIG DEAL to my boys.

They discuss who's turn it is to hand over the receipt - and sometimes even ask
for an extra smiley face for their brother who had been the odd man out that particular time. 
(I think it's sweet and thoughtful) 


I have one child who is more "shy" (at first) than the others who are NOT at all. 
This son of mine has had a difficult time speaking to adults unless he is very very comfortable with them.
You know the kid who hides behind his mother's leg? That's him! 


Well, tonight  (after spending too much money at Sam's)  
this shy boy went excitedly up to the attendant at the door and proudly presented the receipt- 
upon doing so - he had the nerve to ask the man for a smiley face! 
-speaking directly to him was such a BIG DEAL that I almost didn't realize what the man said. 

And I quote-
"Don't bug me about that!" 
He wasn't joking. He was not smiling. He was dead serious as he towered over my first grader! 

Several things went through my head. 
What came out of my mouth was "Merry Christmas"! 
(maybe a tad sarcastic) 
Then the man said (to my son) 
"I always do the smiley face- but not if you bug me about it kid" 

Then I said, "He's just a child- one young enough to get excited over a smiley face"
And I left. 

As we were walking out - (and I'm getting madder and madder by the second.) 
THE NERVE of that RUDE HORRIBLE MEAN MAN to speak to my baby like that!!!
I'm thinking "Sam wouldn't like that at ALL
"I just spent good money in there- again" 
"I bet his manager would have something to say about his behavior!" 
and maybe even
"People like that shouldn't be allowed to work with the general public"
"Child Hater

Just about the time I was good and riled up - I asked my son if the man had hurt his feelings by being 
grumpy
Guess what he said?! 


"No ma'am"
" I think the man was really tired, because he was kind of old and he had to stand there all day" 

I replied with an "Oh"

He added, "I think they should get him a chair, then he'd be more comfortable while he has to
 work hard checking all those receipts"  

 We bowed our heads and prayed for the man at the door. 
We prayed that he would feel strong and well. We prayed that he would feel happy
and that the love of Christ would surround him and touch his heart and his life. 
We thanked God for being able to shop at all, and I thanked Him profusely for working 
in the hearts of my children then I thanked Him for the lessons He 
teaches me on a regular basis. . . . . . . . 

"Out of the mouths of my babes"

I learn about TRUE Christmas Spirit! 



At Life Church Port Charlotte 
they are learning to put others first - and the true meaning of Christmas!

In our homeschool - We've been studying 
"Truth In The Tinsel"  an ebook from Amanda from"Impress Your Kids" 


Counting down to Christmas - Advent - is wonderful to do with your children! 
But, it's not the cute crafts that we like so much


It's not the fact that it can be enjoyed by various ages 


or even the fact that the simple to do crafts are made from things you mostly already have on hand
or that they all relate to Christmas and tell the Christmas story in depth.


We love that not only is it good for them to enjoy working on together 


but the scripture reading that goes along with each craft and the devotions 
which go along with each day are really sinking in
They are learning more about the Savior and growing in grace and love!!!


Wednesdays in the Word Kids in the Word Wednesday   Truth in the Tinsel Week 1




mobbutton Books, Pyramids, Fishing, and a Not So Great Place for Cereal



iFellowship   
 

20 comments:

Unknown said...

No child reacts like this unless he has seen it in his parents, learned to be kind at home, and raised in the admonition of the Lord. I can see God smiling.

Gidget said...

Wow, Kelli - just WOW! I got a little lump in my throat just reading about the insight that your little guy had - how amazing that God has touched him with such an awesome compassion for someone else!

Joy said...

What an amazing child you have! You have been teaching your children well. Yes, we can all take a lesson from them at times like this. Blessings to you!

Unknown said...

Oh, girl, I felt convicted right along with you. My mama bear spirit was all pumped up. That same "oh" came out of my mouth, too, as I was reading. Bless your sweet child.

Sam said...

Okay-that made me teary-because I would have been likely to slap the guy. Wow. Just amazing.

Unknown said...

Y'all are funny- I'm a pretty strict mama- I'm the first one to "get onto" my children when they need it- or if a friend sees one doing something & is helping me out by saying something to them- doesn't bother me one bit- but this was ugly :) I felt so much better to be praying for him than to be angry with him! :) this is my boy who got saved a few months ago- love seeing God working in him- amazing!!!

Amanda @ The Pelsers said...

Wow. I'm not sure I could have held back words with that guy.

Unknown said...

What a loving spirit your son has! Admittedly I would have fumed and walked away thinking of all the comebacks I *should* have said...and never thought about praying for him. Thank you!

Stacie said...

This is a great story! I must admit that I would have reacted the same way. . .how dare you say those things to a child, right?! But God is so GREAT in the way He uses our children to teach us. . .I love it!

Thanks for stopping by my blog and joining me over there! Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!
-Stacie

Jennifer @ JenniferDukesLee.com said...

I stand amazed.

Your child is a portrait of compassion. GREAT story.

Dolly@ Soul Stops said...

Wow! Your child was so full of love that he could give that man compassion without absorbing any of his harshness...awesome post, Kelli :) I am sure that you have loved him well.

GAHCindy said...

Oh, I teared up at that. What a sweet boy.

Andrea said...

How humbling to read your son's response and how well Jesus guards the hearts of those who know Him.

MJ said...

What a fabulous fabulous story, and what a beautiful boy(s) you have there. Compassion is modeled to children by people that love them and show the how. (And most likely not by peers)...Congrats mama on doing a wonderful job.

Unknown said...

it's so true, isn't it? Sometimes I question who the teacher really is.

I just wanted to stop by and wish you the merriest of Christmases, my 31 dayer friend! Thank you for this lovely Christmas story!

Steph T said...

So sweet!!!

One of the door checkers at our Sam's is named Gary. He is an older gentleman too, and so incredibly sweet. He is also the only door checker who has ever drawn smiley faces for my kids. He smiles gently at me and tells me what a beautiful family I have--whether I bring in 1 kid or all 8. It may seem like a trivial thing to some, but I thank God for our Gary. :)

Unknown said...

Your boy was so thoughtful. He will set a good example for all around him. Thank you for visiting my blog. I am now following you.

Betsy de Cruz said...

What a beautiful story! It's true that our "babes" often teach us. I've learned gratefulness over the years from my son. He starts prayer every night with something like, "Thank you for another day of life." Or "Thank you for my wonderful life." After years of hearing it, it has impacted me deeply!

Thanks for the wonderful story.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Great story. They don't draw smiley faces at our Sams at all. Glad my boys don't know about all that ;-)

Your clothes pin people are adorable!

Mama Bird said...

As I was reading your I was getting very mad for you, the nerve of that man! As I continued to read what your son said just it melted my heart. It reminded me of a time a looooooong long time ago before i had kids I was at the drive through with my husband atTacoBell the slogan is they give out free smiles. The lady that handed us our food through the drive through window and was very unfriendly so I said to her " I thought smiles were free and we didn't get ours" she handed us our money abruptly and shut the the drive through window. A we drove away my husband said to me "did you happen to notice that the woman you just yelled at was around 60 years old? She has probably been on her aching feet all day and trying to support herself, do you think she would want to put up with peoplevlike you for fun?" What he said to me has always stuck with me.

Anyway I am so happy to hear that your sons feeling were not hurt and hecwas do kind hearted about what happened!

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