Applying the Truth
Recently, my daughter broke a piggy bank. She had stacked a load of stuff, including a coat, toys and her piggy bank, on top of a desk in her room. As she reached for her coat, she tugged it off, crashing many of the things, including the piggy bank, to the floor. Pickles the Piggy Bank didn't survive. The plastic split in two, chipping part of his "face" and spilling coins and money all over the floor. Immediately, she began to cry. "I broke Pickles," she wailed. Over and over she cried about the loss of her piggy bank (even though she has two.) I tried to use that moment to teach her a lesson. I explained that had she not piled up her things on the desk, then Pickles would not have broken. I wanted her to see that keeping a neat, orderly room prevented accidents like these. I'm not sure she got the message. She was still crying at the time. We can know the right thing to do and still not do it. That's the difference...