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Like Father Like Son by Steve Higginbotham July 30, 2007 | ||
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While at the office this afternoon, I
received a telephone call from my 10 year old son. He said in a very
quiet, solemn voice, "Daddy, I was going to mow the yard and I
accidentally poured the gasoline where the oil is supposed to go and now
the mower won't start."
Well, my first thought was money. That mower
was nearly $200.00. So I made sure he understood just how expensive a
mistake he had made and I lectured him about being so careless, then I
hung up.
After hanging up the phone, I sat and my desk
and rehearsed my words in my mind. They were a little harsh and weren't
very understanding. Then my mind went back to my own childhood.
I recalled an occasion when I poured the wrong type of gasoline in my
dad's new Lawnboy lawnmower, ruining it. How could I be so hard on my son
when I had done the same thing?
So I left work and drove home to talk to my
son. He was sitting in the chair with a sullen look, not wanting to make
eye-contact. I said, "Matthew, do you want to know what happened to me
when I was about your age?" He looked up at me and said, "What?" I said,
"I was going to mow the lawn for grandma and granddad and I poured the
wrong type of gasoline in granddad's lawnmower and ruined it."
Immediately, a smile broke out across his face. Nothing more needed to be
said, but I added one more comment. I said, "You know Matthew, you're a
lot like your dad."
Parenting is not an easy proposition, and
neither is being a child for that matter. So maybe if we're patient with
each other, we'll both learn from our mistakes and grow.
P.S. - Anyone wanting to get rid of a used
lawnmower?
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| Copyright © 2007, South Green
Street Church of Christ, Glasgow, Kentucky Permission is granted to copy these articles. |