Parable of the Lawn Mower and the Soccer Ball

Happier Days

I am convinced that one of the hardest things to do in life is watch your child suffer the consequences of their choices.  When kids are little it doesn't tug at your heart so much - boo hoo they didn't get to watch another hour of Veggie Tales.  Oh no - time out for 3min.  As they grow the ante grows and all of a sudden this all gets very real.  Our oldest and precious child is now a lawn mower.  This is a great and golden day in our lives.  I'm sure we have all heard of tales of children complaining about mowing the lawn and I had hoped they were exaggerated - they are not.  Golden child belly aches in volumes yet unheard of among child-kind.  We finally had to lay down the law and told him if it wasn't done in time he would not get to attend soccer practice.  This was not an aggressive requirement - it gave him 2 days to do it.  But true to tween form the time for soccer practice came and the lawn was still being mowed.  He approached me with the expected plea for leniency and somehow I mustered the strength to remind him of the stipulation and asked him to return to mowing the lawn.  His wails could be heard above the roar of the machine - I am not kidding.  His tear-streaked face shone during each turn in the lawn and reminded me and certainly him of what a hard mom I am.  My heart was in a small panic.  I could have easily caved and taken him to practice and the lawn could have waited for a day.  He could have finished the lawn after practice.  There were 1000 options that could have allowed him to go to practice however only one option was teaching him that choices have consequences and he had made his choice.  My heart bled a little for him that day and I was powerfully reminded that there are somethings we do as parents that our children may not ever understand until they are parents.  Until they are parents they will never know the incredible stabs of pain that go through us when we cannot rescue them from every hurt and all pain, every embarrassment and slight, all trials and difficulties and yes...all the consequences.