Somebody is avoiding the truth

When my grandson does something he KNOWS is not preferred, he has a clever way of reframing the issue. Here are some samples of his work:

“SOMEBODY is going upstairs.” [Christian is only allowed to go upstairs with an adult.]

“SOMEBODY spilled their yemonade on their pants.” [Christian is practicing drinking lemonade with a straw. It’s messy. He isn’t a fan of messy.]

“SOMEBODY threw their firetruck.” [We are learning to not throw our toys.]

“SOMEBODY needs to go see Pops.” [Even though Pops is on a conference call and is off-limits.]

The list goes on.

Our response, “Which somebody?” Big pause. Bashful grin. Avoidance. The adults wait patiently for a response.

Eventually, he says, “Christian Thomas…”

Why is it important that we not chuckle over SOMEBODY? Even though, come on, it is hilarious, right?

Because this will only be funny until it is a habit he cannot break when he is 40 and his marriage is on the rocks because he cannot own his stuff. {See foreboding joy.}

Change is hard enough without having to fight our own insecurity. Making mistakes is part of the process. Some of us hate that more than others, but all of us need to make mistakes in order to learn.

We do not shame Christian over SOMEBODY; but we do give him the opportunity to get it right. That’s a skill that we all need. We need to be able to practice being teachable, learning, and trying until we get it good enough.

Has stubbornness gotten in SOMEBODY’S way lately?