I was waiting in the grocery checkout line when I overheard an exchange between a mom and her teenage daughter behind me.
“Do I have to go to dance tonight? I’m so tired and my instructor is always so mean,” the daughter complained.
I turned around, pretending to choose a pack of gum. I briefly looked their way.
The mom looked like she was studying her daughter for some hidden clues and said, “I guess not.”
What? Are you kidding me?
I don’t know the whole story, but from where I was standing it seemed like the mom missed an opportunity to teach her daughter about the importance of honoring our commitments and our word.
“Keeping your word is the essence of integrity.” Michael Hyatt
Have you ever dried the tears off your child’s face because their “friend” ditched them for a better offer? Oh, how that breaks a mama’s heart (and raises her blood pressure). Have you ever had a friend cancel a much needed girlfriends' day on you at the last minute? That’s no fun, either. What about the look on your child’s face when you tell them “maybe later” when they ask you to play with them? (Maybe later is right. We have no idea how much time we have been given. Make every MOMent count!)
Believe me, there have been times I’ve been in the midst of something I volunteered for and found myself wondering how and why I ever let myself get involved. I haven’t always handled my commitments with honor. I have bowed out of things stating I had “too much on my plate” or various other reasons. Things I should have taken into consideration before saying yes. Now I try to remember those moments where I have felt “trapped” in my schedule before I say “yes” to anything.
This should be the first thing we do before saying yes, but it’s not always. Can you guess what it is? Praying. We should pray before saying yes and making decisions, especially those that affect others. Sometimes I forget or even bypass this step because “it” sounds cool and fun and I want to be involved.
How can you teach your kids to value their word and commitments?
By modeling that you value your word and your commitments.
