M.O.M.’s Mailbox- Caught doing good!

Question: What do you do when you have children saying, 'Mom!! so and so isn't doing this or that' Some days, I'm okay with it but other days, it drives me crazy.

Answer: In our home we’ve found this problem to soon resolve it’s self when we put the children’s attention on what the others are doing right, on esteeming others better than themselves and by letting another mouth praise them and not their own.

1Th 5:13  And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Php 2:3  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Pro 27:2  Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

Here’s what we have done and found great success:

We talk to the children about the verses I shared above and then play a “game”. Anytime you see someone doing something right come tell momma. Whoever has the most good reports said about them at the end of the day gets a sticker, to stay up late or some other small treat!. We discovered when we did this the child not helping began to help and the frustrated child was no longer frustrated. We only needed to do this training session for a short time before it just became a way of living in our home. I often hear my children “telling” on another child… but 9 our of 10 times their telling what someone did right!

Now, I must tell you…. there was a time many years back that I overheard two of the children scheming a plan about this training session. The one said, “I’ll tell mom something you did good if you tell her something I did good.” Before the second could answer I informed them that was “cheating”. However, I did stress that if you want people to notice what you’re doing right you should notice what their doing right too! If you don’t, you just might find that they have nothing at all to say about you. So give your words of praise freely, as long as it isn’t flattery!

With much love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood