On discipling

I had a bit of a revelation the other day about the nature of God vis-a-vee parenting.

I really do ask myself several times a day, "What would Jesus do?"  And usually my answer is, "Be kinder."  Meaning rock Alice for just 10 more minutes and really soak up all her babiness.  Or play with Rex just 5 more minutes before making dinner and kill just 100 more dragons.  It'll be worth it in the end.

So a few days ago, I asked myself that same question, "What would Jesus do?" and I was a little surprised by my answer because my answer was, "Probably be a little meaner."

Here's how it went down.  Alice was taking her afternoon nap and I had just finished making Rex's lunch--PB&J.  I asked him if he wanted one sandwich or two, to which he replied two.  I cut his sandwich in half and arranged the rest of his food on his plate, put it on the table and starting looking for some leftovers for him.  That's about when Rex noticed what I had done and flipped out.  "No! MOM! I wanted one sandwich.  I'm not going to eat this"  cry cry cry tantrum tantrum tantrum.  I, however, kept my cool.  I reminded him that he had requested two sandwiches so I had cut his in half, told him he didn't have to eat it, but that I would not make him another one, and that one sandwich tastes the same as two.  This did not pacify him.  He continued to throw a tantrum.  I don't recall exactly what happened next but he ended up in his room and I was back in the kitchen trying to eat but at the same time feeling guilty that Rex was throwing a tantrum.  Surely Jesus' kids never threw tantrums because he was such a good parent (I have a hard time believing that Jesus did not marry or have children), so I must be doing something wrong.  So what would Jesus do?  Would he just make another sandwich, because really it's not that important.

And then I remembered the Old Testament.  Jesus was a pretty harsh God in the Old Testament.  None of the turn the other check stuff there--eye for an eye.  Now, I realize that I do not have a firm grasp of the Old Testament, but I do know that Jesus enforces rules with exactness.

So no.  Jesus would not make his kid another sandwich.  The rule is Mom makes one lunch a day.  I had to enforce the rule with exactness.  I was teaching my child not to waste, not to throw tantrums, and to be grateful.  All good things.

In the end, though, I did make a second sandwich.  Rex was carrying on in such a way that I was afraid he'd wake Alice, and that would be even less pleasant.  So I made another sandwich with the promise from Rex that he would eat the first for dinner, which he did.  He, however, did not eat the second sandwich.  He ate everything else on his plate except that.  Whatever.

Speaking of Rex and Jesus.  A while back I told Rex not to feed something to Alice because she would choke on it and die.  Rex's response: "It's ok Mom.  Jesus will bring her back to life." Me: "Well, yes, but not for a while so still don't feed that to her."  Seems like all our Easter lessons sunk in, just not in quite the right way.