There are times when I’ve looked at my son or daughter and said, “What in the WORLD were you thinking? You were thinking, right?” I heard a story of a friend’s son who was playing that flip-the-bottle trick with a whole gallon of milk on NEW carpeting. Yep, he did, it did—and Mom? Well, let’s just say it didn’t go very well. We’ve all been there. Tempers. If you haven’t, either your time is coming, or your kids have been hiding it from you. What SHOULD our response be? First, they need to clean up the mess. When they realize their mistake created work? Instant deterrent. Then, be patient. When you do fail, apologize just like you’d expect them to. Both can be great teaching moments.

Suggested Reading: Proverbs 28:13, James 5:16