Lesson

A generous person will be enriched,
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.
(Proverbs 11:25)

Doug and Eli stopped at a coffee shop/pizza restaurant in
Brenham, on their way to Camp Allen.

I'm home alone with Lila this weekend. Well, Friday afternoon to Saturday evening - not the whole weekend. Doug and Eli are gone to Camp Allen for a weekend retreat with friends/their church. The whole family was supposed to go, and really wanted to!

Unfortunately, Lila had another bad beginning to the week and got so far behind on school work that there was no way to finish it all before we would have needed to leave. It was a very tough decision to make, but we decided she would learn the most from not going.

We told her that she couldn't go to the camp after all, because she'd need to catch up on school work. And I have to stay home with her, because I'm her teacher. We didn't lecture or get angry; we just laid it out simply and expressed our genuine sadness at the situation.

I really expected some Biblical Style weeping and gnashing of teeth because this was going to be a weekend at camp with her best friend! She has handled it all remarkably well, however. Because there was no frustration or lecturing from us, she had no one to be mad at.

There was no one to blame for the consequences, except herself. I'm praying like crazy that she will learn a lesson and that it will stick! We've had so much trouble with her behavior lately. She has to learn that it's not okay to walk away from your responsibilities.

You have to do your job, even when you don't feel like it. And it's not okay to be a jerk when you don't feel like doing your job either. She can be so sweet. Most people who know her only see the sweet and respectful side of her personality.

But boy! can she be nasty when she's upset about something. And she is Stubborn! (I can't imagine where she got a trait like that. [shifty eyes]) Eli can be a right little bugger sometimes too, but he doesn't tend to hang onto things like she does.

Today, I kept using this line on her: "I am happy to help you catch up on school work, as long as you are being kind and polite." She was instantly suspicious. "What does that mean?!?" Me: "It's just a statement. A fact. I'm telling you what I'm willing to do."

When she continued to be rude, I said, "Please go up to your room until you are ready to be kind and polite to me." That seemed to be mildly more effective than telling her she could go to her room until she was ready to do her school work. She wants to be kind. She does not want to do school work.

Anyway, there were some tears when Doug and Eli left this afternoon, but she recovered very quickly. Not only did she recover, but she was downright cheerful! She enjoys being alone with one of us. I think she feels a little more grown up that way.

The upside of being alone together all evening: one kids is way easier than two. No bickering or competing or mutinies. The downside of being alone together all evening: I was Lila's sole source of entertainment for the three hours between the end of school and bedtime!

We had some fun though. No eating out and no videos, because she gets no privileges until she's caught up on her work. So we ate leftovers for dinner, went for a long walk, laid on my bed together and read books, and played Twister.

Now Lila is (presumably) asleep in my bed!