We had never had a real tea party. With real dishes.
(I have never even been to a tea party or been served tea formally...any pointers for me??)
My daughter was having a rough morning with a lack of self-control.
Typically, I would only do something as special as a tea party as a reward or as part of our day. Definitely not in the middle of a rough day! Thankfully God was working on me.
In the middle of a heat wave, we needed something different, but indoors. This was perfect!
AND it helped change ALL of our attitudes.
A simple snack of ♥-shaped bread, Fig Newtons, and chocolate chips, served with warm tea was a refreshing way to remember that God gives me so much more than I ever deserve, and my children deserve the same grace.
Though my son enjoyed the food, this tea party was really for M. It was a bit of a struggle for me. I prepared the tea party while M spent some time recovering from yet-another-incident in her room. Not ideal.
She enjoyed every little bit of it, including using proper manners. She arrived at the table with her own idea of a tea party. She spoke in a high voice. On her own she called me Mrs. W and Miss Annette, as she knows other children call me because she desired it to be a formal time!
It was just what we needed to to restart our day. What do yo do when you are at wit's end? (I don't create special moments like this daily...nor do I always extend the grace that my daughter may need. This was one day...quite a while ago. It was good for me to write about it and remember the good that came from me changing my MO.)
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
~ Proverbs 15:1
Oh, I need to keep that nugget of God's wisdom close to my heart and lips!
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
~ Proverbs 15:1
Oh, I need to keep that nugget of God's wisdom close to my heart and lips!
5 comments:
I LOVE this!!! I'll have to remember this.
Very good lesson - and very true in our house, too. I've never thought of it as extending grace, but I like it. In the middle of the most chaotic and disagreeable day, dropping everything, and giving the children your complete attention and time - even for a short while, can turn everything around for the rest of the day.
What a great idea for showing grace. We have tea parties often. We love them. My kids favorite is sausage, cheese, and crackers.
I love the pinky sticking up as she drinks her tea!
Go you!
And the pinky in the air!? PRICELESS! I STILL remember my first grade teacher teaching me how to always hold my pinky out and I still do it - all the time - totally unconsciously.
Anyway, back to the point of the post...
You've encouraged me to deal with my OWN sin issues on rough days and look for ways to extend grace. Thank you for posting about your lesson, Mrs W!
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