The other night when I got home from work, my youngest son, Hayden, met me in the garage with his hands in the air. “Hey, hi Dad,” he said. “Yeah, if you’re wondering why I have band-aids on my hands, I fell playing kickball at recess today.” Then he turned and went back in the house…returning 30 seconds later with what REALLY happened.
“Okay, I didn’t fall at recess,” he said while sobbing. “I was trying to get some money out of the vacation jar in the kitchen cupboard (sniff) and accidently knocked a glass out and it broke on the counter (sniff). I cut hand picking up the pieces! I’m really sorry!”
The first thing I wanted to say was, “You did what? That’s not your money to take! What were you thinking? That’s about the dumbest…” But, as I was looking at him, I realized he didn’t need me yelling at him, he was already feeling bad. So, I took a deep breath, gave him a hug and said, “Mistakes happen, buddy. Thanks for telling me the truth. I love you.”
Proverbs 12:18 says, “Reckless words pierce like a sword. But the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Thank you, God, for helping me to be a gentler dad.
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