Caught: A Teachable Moment

Do you ever let the “little” things get you down?

I was threatened by that temptation yesterday.  There were several little things that happened (do they ever come in singles???) to discourage me. 

In the process of registering my younger daughter for a cake decorating class, we discovered that, in addition to the fee for the class, there was a long list of expensive supplies we would need to purchase (items that we most likely would never use again).  The store clerk was very gracious and canceled the registration for us, but I was still a bit disappointed.

When we got home, I hoped to find that a book I had ordered to use in our family devotions had been delivered.  It had been two weeks since I ordered it, so when I saw that it hadn’t arrived, I went online to track the shipping.  Apparently the book was delivered to the wrong address and was on its way back to the sender.  I called the company, who said they would ship another one out today, but I was frustrated that we won’t get it until later next week.

I was sinking into a bad mood (perhaps there’s a more technical phrase for that?) when I got off the phone with customer service.  Just then I heard one of my daughters getting frustrated because her computer was malfunctioning while she was trying to play a game.  That’s when it hit me; I could use this moment to remind myself – and hopefully explain to her – that when we encounter these little frustrations, we can turn the moment to look at the big picture and find something for which we can be thankful.

We sat on the couch and I thanked her for her understanding attitude about not being able to take the class.  She realized that the expense wasn’t worth it and never complained about not attending.  With regards to the book not being delivered, we talked about being thankful that our family has devotions together, my husband willingly leads us, and there’s certainly plenty we can find in the Bible to discuss before the book arrives!  For her part, my daughter decided that she was thankful that she at least has a computer to get mad at!

It all goes back to one of my dad’s favorite sayings, “Attitude is everything.”  I hope that both my daughter and I will remember this discussion – and hopefully we can encourage each other with this little lesson if (when!) one of us forgets it!

Have you had any teachable moments with your children lately?