Teaching Moments Redux

Last week the ever talented Jack of Random Thoughts wrote a great post titled Teaching Moments. In it he reflected on his role as a father giving his children guidance, and he framed it with a touching story about his son. (Yes, I'm saying you should read it.) In the comments, I remarked to Jack that with the boys only being here for a short while this summer, I was trying to jam in teaching moments whenever possible. At one point, after asking (telling) my oldest son, Noah, to redo an assigned chore because he hadn't done it right the first time, he mumbled, "So this must be another one of those life lessons."

Indeed.

And his chore? Cleaning the toilet in the boy's bathroom. In fact, there were a few more life lessons inspired by that toilet, ones I pray will stick with them forever.

However, it's not just the boys who I've had to share pearls of potty-inspired wisdom with, if you recall the story behind this photo and the oath I made the girls swear by.

Even so, I believe it will take a long time before any of these lessons will sink in ...and this includes my wife based on this Superman Action Adventure story, and the subsequent security camera footage captured below.

For now, though, all I can do is remain consistent in my parental guidance, hoping they will never commit such transgressions while visiting the neighbors. In the meantime, I'll keep looking to Jack as my inspiration for believing that teaching kids life lessons really does have an impact on them as they mature.

Finally, want to do something really wise? Please take a moment to help in the fight against the painful and potentially deadly autoimmune disease Juvenile Myositis. Vote for the CureJM Foundation as they are in the running to receive a $250K grant from Pepsi to fund research in putting an end to JM. It's as simple as three clicks. And if you would, please share with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers too. Thanks!