Proud

Im proud of my girls this past week.  Some days you wonder if anything you teach your children every sinks in, are they ever listening or hearing you blab on.  And you hope they make good choices when you arn't around, and think of the times you tried to teach them proper values in life.  When I ship my kids on the bus every morning, you usually find me shouting as they walk to the bus, "have a great day, I love you, treat people the way you want to be treated, don't take nothing that isn't yours, be confident, play with the one who is alone cause one day that could be you, stick up for the one who's getting bullied cause one day that could be you". Many of those kind of phrases.  I hope they listen, for all I know its going in one ear and out the next.  And Ive only recently added "don't take nothing that isn't yours", just this past week due to what happened.

I notice alot around my house.  I think probably most mom's do.  I notice when things are out of place, or its a complete mess, or when the kids r missing something its usually me that knows where it is.  Well this past week I noticed Aubrie playing with some things that I have never seen before.  So I simply asked her "Aubrie who's are those toys?" Well the look on her face pretty much said it all.  I then asked her again and again, till she finally told me she took them from school.  I asked her if I didn't notice would she have returned them and she said no.  I was very upset but kept my cool cause she knew she was in trouble and her tears started to flow.  I began to explain how wrong it was that she took those, how it was stealing, how she would feel if someone came here and took her things what she would feel.  I also explained how stealing can lead to prison if it gets that far.  I explained how some times you steal and you get away with it, so you steal again cause its easy and no one notices or sees you.  But one day you will get caught.  I told her about an incident I myself was in with a friend, who stole from Walmart, and as we left the store she handed to me what she had stolen, I was so shocked she did that. Then all of a sudden we were getting arrested by police hand cuffed and walked to the back of the store.  I tried explaining over and over how it wasn't me it was her, and my friend wouldn't even own up.  It didn't matter, she handed me the items and I was now part of it all.

  She cried pretty much the entire evening.  And for how much I wanted to hold her and tell her its going to be ok, I needed her to think about what she did.  I told her we would be returning the items together at school the next day and talking to both the teachers she took stuff from.  She was very scared.

I walked into the school the next day, confident in what I was doing.  Hoping that this would really show Aubrie that what she did was wrong.  I knew when she saw me she was going to crumble so I waited till the recess bell rang and met her in her classroom.  She went white when she saw me, came over and held my hand.  I asked her teacher if I could speak to him and Aubrie after the kids went outside.  I also grabbed the other teacher as she was walking by.  The kids all left, and there the 4 of us stood.  Teachers looking at me like "what's going on".  I cracked.  Aubrie started crying and so did I.  It was pulling at my heart strings so much but I couldn't turn back now.  I said "I noticed yesterday Aubrie playing with some toys that didn't belong to her, and belonged to each of your class rooms.  I explained to her what she has done is wrong and we are here to be honest and own up to this mistake", I was choked up the whole time.  I felt so bad for her, but I knew this had to be done.  The teachers both explained how happy they were that Aubrie was honest and how we learn from our mistakes, and how happy they were that us as parents chose to be honest as well. Aubrie then said "Im sorry for stealing, I promise I wont do it again."

I left the school, soo soo proud of her.  Yet she made a huge mistake she was brave enough to own up to it and tell the teachers.  Many kids wouldn't, but she did.  I left the school hoping that that would stick with her for along time, and she would realize that stealing is not good, and never do it again.

And as for Allie, she made a huge step this past week to.....