“Learning lessons is a little like reaching maturity. You’re not suddenly more happy, wealthy, or powerful, but you understand the world around you better, and you’re at peace with yourself. Learning life’s lessons is not about making your life perfect, but about seeing life as it was meant to be.”
~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
At first I wasn’t sure whether this fell into my “Good News” category. Usually I focus on those who are acting to the betterment of others without expectation of immediate return. Then I realized, teaching a valuable lesson about life to our children is one of the most valuable acts we can perform.
And it is kind of funny.
Thanks to Dave Bodner for passing along the story.
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Barb is a single Mom with thirteen- year old son, Tyler. Sometimes life can be challenging with a teenager at home.
One particular day Tyler was home alone as there was a teacher “in service” conference. Barb knew that Tyler could stay at home alone and stay out of trouble if he kept himself occupied. She left a list of chores for him and reminded him that morning that she expected everything to be done when she got home later that afternoon.
Mom returned home from work that day and found Tyler sprawled out on the couch. She quickly noticed that only about half the chores were finished. When asked why he did not finish ALL the chores, Tyler replied, “I only felt like doing half of them.”
Being a good Mom, Barb bit her tongue and did not scold Tyler. She thought there might be a better way to teach her son the importance of doing ALL his chores.
Barb drives her son to school every day. The next day’s drive to school was a bit different for both of them. Just about half way to school, Barb stops the car and tells her son to “get out and walk the rest of the way”. He looked at her in disbelief and knew that Mom was not kidding around. He walked the final half to school and did a little thinking along the way. Miraculously, he started to complete ALL his chores.
Photo by Petr Kratochvil
