Quick to listen. Slow to speak.

Next time one of your kids says something that makes your head spin off your shoulders, you just might want to double check your hearing (or vision as the case may be). A couple of weeks ago, my first grader and her best friend were playing happily in our upstairs gameroom. About 45 minutes into this playdate, Ellie comes running down the stairs anxiously looking for her daddy. She hurridly pulled him by the arm up the stairs, hardly able to contain her excitement. "Daddy, come see what Malia and I did!", she said.

There at the top of the stairs glaring him in the face was the old white board Chris had given the kids to play with. He knew they always enjoyed writing or drawing on that old board. But now, what had been an innocent and cheap source of entertainment had instantly become a life lesson in the making. There in patriotic colors of red and blue were the unmistakable words, "Malia's & Ellie's Fart!!". And don't you love the TWO exclamation points at the end? It gives it just the right umph, don't you think?

Chris was speechless. He thought, "Really? This is what she was so excited to show me?" Once he regained his wits, he asked Ellie what this was about. As a parent, Chris could not laugh (very loud). He had to take this teachable moment and make the most of it. That was his job as a parent, right? He calmly, and in his most fatherly tone, expressed his surprise at Ellie's graffiti. She looked at him with a rather confused look and continued with her excitement over this great accomplishment. Chris infused a little deeper tone in his voice and once more said how surprised he was that she would write this word. After all, Archinals do not use potty words. She should erase this right away.

Upon hearing this stern reproach Ellie was deflated. Using her ability to cry on cue she allowed a single tear to roll down those little puffy cheeks. "But Daddy, we made a "fawt" (did I mention Ellie struggles with her "R's"?)." Chris was now just downright frustrated with this obstinate child. He was just about to turn angry when he looked up and saw that the gameroom had been transformed into an elaborate FORT!

He laughed so hard he had to catch the stair railing to keep from falling down the stairs backwards. He apologized to Ellie and taught her how to spell the word correctly. We all had a great laugh and realized this may be what God meant when He said, "Everyone should be quick to listen (or READ in this case), slow to speak and slow to become angry". Too often I don't give my kids the benefit of the doubt. How grateful I am that in my moments of quick assumptions, my heavenly Father is so completely patient with me. We can be slow on the uptake but God can handle it. And what a great sense of humor He has!