I regret to inform you that I am no longer a wuss. That’s right I conquered fear of my children.

Fear you say?

Not a bully kind of fear but fear of their response kind of fear.

Some of you may say, “they’re children.”

Hear me out.

So kid hero lost a tooth two weeks ago. It just so happened that he actually pulled it out so that he could reap the reward of the Tooth Angel a little faster. Smart kid right?

Well I usually buy little toys and books just for happenings like these but it turns out this time I had nothing.

Remember when you got one dollar under our pillows and called it day. (For my more seasoned mama’s-a nickel)

It could have been just that simple but we have a tradition that we started and It’s ours. So we do it.

When a child loses their first tooth in our house they get a certificate shaped like a tooth, a cool new toothbrush, and a dollar or two. But the best part is where we make a special bag for that tooth. We decorate it with all the boy goodness and we thank God for the tooth that we lost and the one we will gain.

As the next few teeth ooze out, we stick to just making a bag and the boys get a little gift for their hard work of brushing and taking care of that tooth. They also get one dollar in which they can choose to spend, save or give. This time our agenda gave me the perfect opportunity to pick something up real quick but the fact that Kid Hero was hopefully waiting for the toy that he wanted gave way to a new kind of surprise from the tooth angel.

So we waited til last week to decorate our bag and slip it under his pillow. Now I stalled a bit on the bag so that I’d have a chance to grab one of his favorite beys. However, it just so happened that this particular week our house hold was struggling to submit to the Lords commandment of submitting to the parents and being a good neighbor.

So as I walked my happy tail out of work and across the highway to the toy store, I thought, ” Lord show me a way to give them Jesus with the tooth angel.” Let’s face it, everything we do in our house involves Jesus and he’s the primary reason we  developed the tooth angel instead of the tooth fairy. So that I may have another opportunity to give them better moments of wanting and serving the Lord.

And as I walked I thought, no way I’m going home. And the tooth angel will bring to our home a lesson of character building.

So I went home and we put the tooth bag together and under Kid Hero’s pillow and you know what I did? I fell asleep and woke up to an excited six year old eager to see the toy he knew would be placed under his pillow.

Whomp. Whomp.

What did I do?

No worries I had a plan. While my boys were eating breakfast. I snuck down to the kitchen and wrote a letter from the tooth angel. She urged KH to heed the instruction of his parents and follow the Lord’s way. She talked about preferring others over himself. She went over the benefits of a wise child who brings honor to their parents and the destruction of a foolish child who abandons his father words.

I also slipped a ten-dollar bill in the bag along with the tooth.

Yup He didn’t want to hear this. He immediately started to freak out and cry. He wanted a toy instead. He was not happy. I was so disappointed in his selfishness at that point that I begged the Lord to have mercy on him. LOL

I sat down and began to talk with him about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. He freaked out more.

You know? Everything in me wanted to say, ” Ok we’ll get a toy when we go out to the store.” But I thought, If I remedy this kind of behavior with a reward so that at the present time he may obey, what gain is there? What is initially happening to his soul?

As a parent I am called by God to protect my children from death-hell. I am to raise them with God’s provision. Their human nature is against God and all he wants. Their hearts are deceitful and wicked, selfish and vain(Jeremiah 17:9). It is in moments much like this one that I must stop, recognize and rescue.

Stop and think what is really going on. What the heart is saying. I must be good at recognizing my children’s needs-spiritually. In this case KH was being very selfish. What the tooth angel gave wasn’t good enough for him and he was going to cry, yell and stomp until he got what he wanted. (dis-contentment, prideful, ungrateful)

Recognize the way that I need to respond. Not by yelling and sending him away, unbridled anger or relieving him by rewarding him but finding the best way to reprove him whether it be correction, instruction, rebuke, entreaty, teaching, encouragement or a warning from the Lord.

Rescue him by giving him Jesus. The bible says that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. God says that he will give us the things we desire if we seek him with our whole hearts. My boy has got to understand that it’s not about him.

I’m certainly on a mission. That is to help my boys understand themselves in light of the Lord.

After reading the passage about the Good Samaritan KH quickly started to crumble and cry. He repented

At the end there was a charge.

The tooth angel charged Kid Hero to figure out how he can be a blessing with his money, whether it be to the church, the community, his family or complete strangers. He was charged to give some, save some and then spend some of his money.

Oh was it hard. He acted like a complete fool with his tantrum and it pained me to discipline him but no discipline seems pleasant at the moment but painful. I think that’s true for me and him. But it is important that I make an appeal to his conscience and address his heart.

So of course my boy understood it at the moment and failed a few times along the past few weeks. But my biggest accomplishment in my son’s life is that he can recognize when he is wrong and he is capable and active in repenting and seeking to do better.

Always makes me smile to see him sitting talking to God about what’s on his heart.

So the next occasion I need to pull out my guns, I’m sticking to them.