Now That's What I Call Accountability!!

Isaiah is struggling with lying.

It is not uncommon for a kid his age.

It is not uncommon for an adopted child.

Who knows what is going through his mind that leads him to continue in this habit.

Today, as I was dealing with a particular lying incident, I wanted him to understand that we all have sins that we struggle with.

After explaining to him again what sin is, Here was our discussion:

Me: Isaiah, Mommy sins, too.

Isaiah(His eyes got wide): Really? How?

Me: Mommy gets angry and sometimes in my anger I sin.

Isaiah: How do you sin when you are angry?

Me: Well, I yell or I don't treat people very nicely.

It was a bonding moment. We connected. I forgot about it.

Fast Forward 10 hours. I am in the kitchen heading over to the sink to wash some strawberries for Isaiah's and Laila's dinner. The 3 older kids had fixed their own dinners, and I discovered for the first time the messes they left.

I took a deep breath and said out loud, "I need to leave this kitchen now to calm myself down before I lose it."

I left the room. When I came back in, this was the conversation that ensued:

Isaiah: Mom, are you going to do it?

Me: Do what, Isaiah?

Isaiah: Are you going to disobey?

Me: Isaiah, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Isaiah: You look angry. Are you going to hurt God and yell?

Wow!! That led to another great conversation. Talk about a quick way to check my attitude and quench that anger that was about to explode out of me.

They are always watching.

They are always evaluating.

They are always comparing what we preach to the actions we take.

Who needs an accountability partner when you have a smart 4 year old?

I am reminded every day of my humanity and my sinfulness as I try to parent these 6 children.

I pray that I am always teachable to changing my own heart as much as I expect my children to change theirs.