Teachable Moments

Parenting is such a difficult job!
Every day we are presented with "teachable moments" to share with our kids.
Today, a whopper presented itself.
A 6 year old boy, and his brothers, presented a story of getting in a weather balloon and being carried away.
What likely happened...
the boys were playing with the weather balloon, accidentally loosened it...then the fun began.
The 6 year old, terrified of the trouble he was going to be in, ran and hid. The older brothers tell the story of him getting in the balloon.
It is possible that the brothers saw him get into the balloon, but not out before it floated away.
But what the 6 year old did, hiding, there is your teachable moment.

I called all of my kids downstairs, even the 3 year old. Showed them the news, explained the story and then asked, "is that what you would do? Is that what you should do?"
I explained to the kids that telling lies ALWAYS causes more trouble! And, hiding can cause big problems. I told them how the police were there and how the boy was going to be in BIG trouble because he hid, instead of just telling dad what happened.

Little opportunities present themselves everyday. Find them and don't waste them...it can really help make parenting a little less difficult when the kids are faced with difficult choices!