Fun With Our Sons: Kaleb's Gift

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Kaleb's Gift

When we named Kaleb I knew his name means "Faithful." Tonight I saw him live up to his name.

All 3 boys were playing on a huge dirt pile in our neighborhood while I walked Ginger. From 2 blocks away I heard Aaron scream at the top of his lungs. By the time I made it to the dirt pile, all was well. Hmm. What happened here? Since it was time to go inside anyway, I called them home. The story unfolds...

Braylen (accidentally) hit Aaron in the ear with a dirt clod. He screamed. Braylen said he was sorry and went back to his dirt fort. Aaron told Kaleb he wanted to get even with Braylen and throw something at his head. Kaleb's advice? "Satan wants you to get mad at Braylen. If you do, then Satan wins. You need to forgive Braylen instead of getting angry at him. Let God deal with Braylen." He went on to tell Aaron that sometimes he pictures being electrocuted by Satan when he's tempted to do something wrong, and when he chooses to do what's right he pictures God stomping on Satan's head. Who knew this was going on in Kaleb's head? Aaron asked Kaleb how he knew all of this, and Kaleb told him he learned it in Sunday School. "You'll learn all about these things too when you get older Aaron," Kaleb replied.

Wow, did I ever heap the praise on Kaleb!!! He parented Aaron in those moments much more effectively than I ever could. It feels quite humbling, actually. How many times to I get angry at the driver in front of me, or at the person standing right in my way at Walmart? In my heart I'm not extending any grace to those people. I just want to get even. My 8 year old reminded me tonight that's not God's way. Over and over I hear in my head, "and a little child shall lead them." How true.

Kaleb's middle name is Matthew, which means "Gift from God." Kaleb Matthew is most definitely my "Faithful Gift from God." How blessed I am to see my son live out what he's been taught. I pray God continues to mold and shape him into a mighty man of God! I pray that for all my boys. And one new rule is now in place--no throwing dirt clods at each other on the dirt pile. :)

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What I've Learned While Raising Boys

You know you're a Cub Scout mom when you end up teaching the salesperon which neckerchief slide goes with which age level.

The boys want to be just like dad, but they want to snuggle with mom.

Snuggling and cuddling can quickly turn into a tickling match with daddy, but mommy avoids the tickling to keep snuggling longer.

A carpeted floor always turns into a wrestling mat.

I don't care how old (or how young) you are; if you are male, you will wrestle on the carpeted floor.

I've never heard the words 'belch' and 'fart' more in my life. Nor the sound effects those words represent.

They'll carry toads and eat dog food. Hand them a toilet brush and they think it's gross.

Why mop the boys' bathroom floor when I can wait for them to do it for me? Three showers later, a towel makes a nice mop.

Courtesy flush=an adult walks by the boys' bathroom and flushes the toilet. Courtesy flushes are standard around here.

Hearing me count to 5 changes my child's behavior, if only for a moment.

I get more practice counting to 5 than I did when I was learning how to count.

Pull-ups should never go in the dryer.

Vacuuming the pull-up pieces out of the dryer at midnight is not unheard of.

Rocks, cars, coins, chapstick, crayons, army men, kleenex, and stickers are all washable, but shouldn't be.

If I want a child to be sick, give him clean sheets.

Band-aids really do make it all better.

My camera batteries will die at the worst time. Like they did at my wedding and the birth of my first son.

When I get mad at my son for spilling his drink, I'll spill mine that same day.

Just when I'm ready to sit down with my lunch, my kids need cleaned up from finishing theirs.

The game "I Spy" works great in a restaurant; not in a moving car.

Dandelion bouquets should be checked for ants before gracing my kitchen counter.

I should always accept a dandelion from my son with delight, for someday they will just be weeds in my yard.

I really do have eyes in the back of my head.

The messier the better--living room, kitchen, toy room--for it means my kids are here with me.

I never turn away a hug from my son--soon enough he won't offer them to me.

Things are always better in the morning.

I can never find the scotch tape in my kitchen drawer, but my son has at least 3 rolls in his desk.

My 5 year old can remember attending a funeral when he was 3, but he can't remember to flush the toilet or shut the front door.

I shouldn't be surprised that my 5 year old thinks I was friends with Mary, mother of Jesus, when he thinks 7 year olds are big kids.

Hiding a purchase from an inquisitive child looks like shoplifting.

The number of bathrooms in a home should equal the number of children. All 3 bathrooms have been used at the same time more than I ever would have imagined.

I'm a selfish, self-centered person. God's cure for that? My 3 blessings.

They really are little for just a little while. . .