Yep, I Screw Up Sometimes

Be prepared for the shock of a lifetime. 

I'm not a perfect parent. 

I know, I KNOW.... who would have thunk??? I mean with my immaculate house and all,  I should be a shoe-in for that "Perfect Parent" award, huh?

I hear those people live on Pinterest and not in real life. Just FYI. 

That being said... I screw up sometimes.

A few weeks ago, it was a Friday... the BEST day because, well duh. It was Friday... but also Show and Share at the kid's daycare. 

Austin was all excited to bring his "treasure chest" to Show and Share, and he filled it with his favorite race car Hot Wheels cars. 

Big time stuff in a little boy's world. 

We were rushing out the door and Austin was carrying his milk and breakfast to have in the car so I told him I'd carry his treasure chest. 

Well, we were about 5 mins away from daycare and I looked over at the passenger seat... and the treasure chest wasn't there. 

I had set it down on my way out to the garage and forgot it. 

I told Austin that and he got upset. 

My first instinct was to launch into the Parenting Lesson of "mistakes happen, let it go" and I started telling him that I made a mistake, and we could bring the treasure chest next Friday, he'd be fine, settle down... let it go.. etc.

We pull up to daycare and I look behind me and Austin had his head turned to one side in his carseat and was silently crying. 

My heart broke. 

He was really, really upset he didn't have his treasure chest to Show and Share with his friends. 

Sometimes the trickiest part of teaching our kids a lesson is to realize that there is often another side to each lesson.. another side of the coin, so to speak. 

I knew I had to let go of my "mistakes happen, let it go" lesson. I had to right my wrong because I had wronged him, and I had to teach him the lesson of "when you hurt someone, you have to try your best to make it right." It's not always ok to dismiss their little feelings and tell them to "get over it."

I told Austin I was really sorry, and that I was going to drive home and get his treasure chest and bring it back to him, because that was the right thing to do. 

Did it inconvenience me? 

Yes. 

But the beaming smile on his face when he saw me walk into school with his treasure chest was worth more than all the time and gas I spent righting my wrong. 

It was a big lesson for me too... to remember that this little person has feelings and sometimes it's not always a "stop crying, you will be fine" situation... sometimes the parents have to man up and admit to screwing up. It's important to show our kiddos that if you wrong someone, you need to try and make it right. 

Because who wouldn't want to make this little guy smile?