Scene
Three children are galloping from one end of the house to the other, shrieking and giggling and springing onto the couch and then off again.
Boy: I won!
Girl: [whining] I never win. Readysetgo!
Toddler: I win I win I win I win!!!!!!
[thunderous feet pounding and more screaming]
[Thud.]
[Silence.]
[Sobbing.]
Girl: I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!
Boy: Ooooooowwwwwww! Go away! You did too mean to! Mooooooooommmmyyyyyyyy! She tripped meeeeee!
Alternate Ending One:
Mom storms down the hall, every footstep thudding the coming judgment. Stands in the room, hands on hips. [Bellowing] What happened? I knew this would happen. I’ve told you and told you and TOLD you not to race around here because someone is going to get hurt!
All three kids yelling at once: It’s was his/her fault! She pulled me down! He pushed me! She beated me! He wouldn’t let me win!
Mom, screaming over the racket: Shut up all of you! Can’t you see I need to fix dinner?!? Don’t you want to EAT??? Girl, go to your room! Toddler, climb in your bed and lay there. Boy, you better show me blood after all that crying! [inspects injury] You’re fine! Go to your room too! Keep your mouths shut until it’s dinner time!!!
Everyone storms off to their respective rooms wailing, Mom stomps back down the hall towards the kitchen.
Alternate Ending Two:
Mom hurries down the hall, praying God, help me. I’m tired and frustrated with these kids doing this same thing every. single. night. I don’t want to be kind to them right now. Please help me. [Sitting down in the room with a quiet sigh] Tell me what happened. Boy, you go first.
Boy [sniffling]: W-w-we were racing down the hall and she stuck her foot out and tripped me and I hurt my knees.
Girl, interrupting loudly: But he pulled on my clothes to keep me from winning! That’s not fair!
Mom, quietly: Sounds like you returned evil for evil. Is that the right way to respond?
Girl: [sulky] No.
Mom: Are you ever allowed to return evil for evil?
Girl: No.
Mom: How should you respond?
Girl: I could tell you.
Mom: That would be better. But we’re supposed to return good. Think about what that would look like. Boy, why did you pull on her clothes?
Boy: I didn’t want her to win.
Mom: Is that kind? Would you want her to pull on you?
Boy: [sulky] No. But it isn’t kind of her to beat me!
Mom: It’s a race, honey. If you agree to race, you agree to someone winning. The one who loses needs to congratulate the winner. You need to apologize to each other. Then let’s try this again and treat each other the way you want to be treated.
Kids return to their race, laughing resumes, and Mom returns to the kitchen.
This post is part of the One Word At A Time Blog Carnival on Kindness hosted this week by Bridget Chumbley. Visit her site to read the incredibly creative posts there.
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Sadly the first ending is probably all too common. The second is a perfect scenario of how to be a living example to our children of kindness and love… that will stick with them forever.
Great post, Joy.
Your alternate endings for stories about the kids are also alternate endings for stories about adults. I smiled to think how often I act like a child. Good post.
Good post.
Obviously the second scenarion is preferable. But we are human and will do the first on occasion as well. But hopefully not often.
The alternate endings idea is brilliant — and there are still probably more possible endings out there.
The reality is, when we choose the 'unkind' ending, we choose to create unkindness in our world.
Brilliant!
Louise
I've lived both of these out (though I may have written more eloquently than I actually am…) so many times. And as Glynn wrote, how often am I the crying or the whining kid, not the parent? More often than I care to admit.
Choosing kindness requires such an incredible amount of self-control because every cell in my body just wants to explode in situations like that. If only I can call upon God to help and remember the fruit of kindness in the hearts of my children…
M.L. Gallagher, you're so right! Sometimes I choose to ignore the scene altogether, but then it usually seeks me out. Sometimes the children don't respond to kind correction and still end up spending time thinking in their rooms. And many more.
Thanks for sharing this, Joy. I have lived both of these as well and probably more of the first one thatn I care to admit, but it is very true. Thanks for the reminder of our dependence upon God and his power to help us to obey and to respond with kindness.
Tricia
Ahh, kids! You have to love 'em!