Lesson #4 - Right is Right

It's funny...we're the adults. We're supposed to know more than the kids, but there are times when I really wonder. I mean, we're older and we have had more experiences, but I think sometimes the older we get, the less we know. Or maybe it's not that we know less, it's just that there are more options to choose from. For children right is right...wrong is wrong. It's that simple.

For instance, I like to sing my own little made up songs all day long. I was doing this the other day (I was singing the Veggie tales cheese burger song and just messing around with the words) when I was in the car with Rylen and I happened to sing..."Cause you're my "peas"burger" (I thought Rylen would get a kick out of this because he hates vegetable with a passion.) Instead I received a firm rebuke from him, "No mom, it's "cheese"burger, and we don't use potty words in our house!" Bad mom! In Rylens little 3 year old mind, there is right and wrong. Everything is black and white...there is no gray to confuse the issue.

I'll give you another example...Ashlynn's class was debating the upcoming election (now our recently past election) in their class at school the other day. They were to ask questions, and then debate on arguments for and against the two presidential candidates. Well the discussion went ahead, and someone said something about one of the candidates wanting to spread the wealth around. Ashlynn's comment was something to the effect of, "...well shouldn't the people who work hard get to have more money than the people who don't want to work. It doesn't seem fair to just give people money that they haven't worked for when there are other people who work really hard to take care of their families." To her, it was an issue of right or wrong. Black or white. There was nothing in there to muddy the waters.

So, the lesson I've learned this week is to remember there really is only a right and a wrong to every situation. There may be a zillion colors of the rainbow to cloud the waters, but ultimately the choice is black or white; right or wrong. Incidently, I think all those colors are put in there to make us feel better...give us an out. (This decision may not be entirely right...but it's really close and the best I can do???) We need to just weed out all that extraneous information and deal with the right or wrong choice. If my 3 year old can do it, so can I!