130 Days ago
Busted by a First Grader
The last thing on my 100-point checklist in a parent"s day is to be confronted by my 7-year-old on being a good citizen. To be honest, I didn"t even know that was on my list! Nevertheless my brave young son decided to ask me why I was going over the speed limit? That answer was easy as I always have a good reason for everything I do. I told him with a controlled but strained voice, Because we"re late, my son.
That seemed to satisfy him and so I kept hurling toward our next destination thinking of how I could apologize to the dentist for being late. But then, like a clap of moral thunder, my son leveled my responsible parent attitude with the following
Isn"t that breaking the law? He said it with simple and matter-of-fact curiosity. In the rear-view mirror I could see his 10-year-old sister"s eyes look up to meet mine and then dart away out the window. Bless her heart; she doesn"t like to see me uncomfortable.
There was no escape, no wiggle room. Dad was busted! Even the fact that I was looking for a way to explain my way out of it put me even farther out of the land of good citizenship. I had to concede defeat.
Yes. I am breaking the law and that"s not good. I immediately slowed the car down to the suggested speed limit and got ready to face the music with my children. The talk to them about obeying the law was more for me than it was for them. And more for my heart, than their little heads.
What"s the Big Deal?
You may be thinking that our busy day-to-day lives are not so black and white as my son clearly interpreted but looking deeper into the issue there is a moral question begging my answer: Do I value honesty and integrity? Is it something I use when it is convenient or do I truly stand for this in my life? Wow. Talk about Values hitting to home!
When we break promises to others we first break them to ourselves. That little voice inside your head reflects the moral values you hold dear. Your values are a reflection of your soul. So, there"s the lesson for me and here"s what"s true for you:
Fact: Your values are about the stand you take in life.
5/3/2010 9:50:52 PM You can make as many excuses as you want and call it "gray area" but in the end it"s really black and white.
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