Please don’t freak out over accidents. They happen. We all make mistakes. I remember when I was a new driver. I backed into someone. I remember my parents not getting mad at all. I thought it strange that they’d get more mad at me over a messed up room then a crashed car. As a parent, I get it now. One was intentional and already trained. One was an accident. It completely relates to my post about determining between willful defiance vs. childhood irresponsibility. The broken glass you see pictured above just occurred in our house. I was doing a little post-dinner vacuum under the dining room table. I asked Abby to please move the bench for me. She moved it straight into our glass pane door. You saw the shock on her face as she said, “It was an accident.” Our response? “I know it was, Baby. Please just step back now so you don’t get glass in your feet.” There can be later teaching about how to make sure to look where you are going. However, you don’t want to bring shame on an accident. This is a great time to have a little grace.
If only I would have responded that way more times when my kids were small. Awesome response! Sadly I hear too much shaming going on around me today and it hurts my heart. Sweet Blessings on you and your precious family.
It’s hard. It really is. I could feel my initial reaction bubbling up, and I was able to catch myself immediately. I saw the same response in my husband. Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments. I appreciate your encouragement. It’s nice to hear wiser women encourage me in what I’m trying to do.
5 kids and many foster kids – lots of accidents. Grace.