I need to serve up a little bit of credit for myself today. For once, I had a good moment of parenting. As most parents know, we get those moments so rarely, and we’re usually too busy to know it. For once, I handled a situation well, and I realized it.
My 9-year-old and 7-year-old sons have the typical brother relationship. In other words, they are each other’s best friend…and worst enemy. They know exactly which buttons to push and the perfect time to push them. This morning, my 7-year-old son found a terrific moment to torment his big brother, and his efforts we rewarded with howling, whining, and tattling.
I smiled at big brother and pointed out to him that he better get used to the tormenting, because it wasn’t going to go away. After all, his dad has a big brother, whom he still loves to torment. Little brothers never grow out of it. The whiner burst out laughing. He also loved the fact that in that scenario, he was comparable to his beloved uncle. Moment of torment turned into moment of triumph.
And I defused the situation with a few calm sentences. I’ll savor this victory until the next time I screw up as a parent, so I don’t have much time.
Nice move, Mom! Savor the victory.