At dinner yesterday, Amalie was sitting beside me. She was leaning back in her chair, like she has done on many occasions. We have told her over and over again not to because she might fall, but it has become a bad habit for both of the children. I saw that Amalie had leaned too far back and realized she was going to fall backwards. The chair hovered on two legs for a moment and I could have easily reached out and steadied her, but I felt very clearly that this was an important lesson she needed to learn.
There was nothing behind her that would seriously hurt her, and I thought she would probably be more shocked than anything. She fell all the way back, her head banging against the chair as the chair fell first onto the soft carpet. She immediately started wailing. Brad rushed over and wrapped her up in his arms.
My heart hurt listening to her cry. I felt a twinge of guilt, knowing I could have prevented the fall. It was HARD to watch my child hurting. But I KNEW that Amalie would never do it again, because that is how she learns. As I walked into the kitchen, I wondered if this was how Heavenly Father feels when he sees us get hurt because of bad decisions we have made. I wondered if He watches us with heavy heart, pleading with us to follow the commandments He has set for us. He has given us all the tools we need to be happy and the rest is up to us. Oh, how grateful I am for a loving Father in Heaven who lets me suffer consequences when I sin and then lovingly wraps me in His arms when I repent. How grateful I am for this Christmas season to remember with gratitude the gift of repentance.
2 comments:
Kate, go read Let Virtue Garnish Your Thoughts by Bishop H. David Burton in the November Ensign. It goes along with what you blogged. It is soooooo true when he says "By remaining steadfast, parents so very often suffer and agonize more than the children they endeavor to teach."
Good lesson learned!
My rule is "4 on the floor" (meaning all 4 legs must be touching the floor) or you can stand and eat, do homework...whatever it is they are doing at the table. They prefer to sit :) they get one reminder of 4 on the floor then I take the chair away...it's not too often they have to stand.
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