Do you take advantage of teachable moments? As a single parent it’s hard to stop what you are doing and focus on how you can use an opportunity to teach your child, but it’s important to do it.
I remember one teachable moment when Hailey was three, and even though at the time I thought maybe she was too young, it has stuck with her.
I picked Hailey up from daycare and pulled into a 7-11 to get gas. I took Hailey inside with me to pay. Once in the store Hailey asked for a treat, I said no, we were going home to have dinner.
Back in the car, driving home, Hailey starts unwrapping a piece of candy, when I asked her where she got it, she said 7-11. I was tired, I just wanted to go home, I could have told her that what she did was wrong and taken the candy from her. Instead, I went back to 7-11.
I don’t know why I did it, although I knew that I didn’t want my daughter to be a thief. At three she didn’t understand what she did but I wanted her to learn a lesson she wouldn’t forget.
I walked in the store and talked to the lady that was working and asked her to help me scare Hailey a little so she would never do anything like this again. I have to say, that woman was wonderful, she played her part to the hilt.
I brought Hailey in the store and made her tell the lady what she had done. That wonderful woman took Hailey behind the counter and pretended to call the police. I stood their while she talked to my daughter, relaying what the “policeman” was saying on the phone. It all went well with Hailey promising never to take anything that she hadn’t paid for again, and the “policeman” saying that he would let her go this time because he thought she was a good girl.
Many of my friends were mortified, how could I scare my child like that? Yes, it was probably scary but it was an opportunity to teach that I could never replicate.
That day Hailey learned to take responsibility for what she had done by telling the truth. She learned that I won’t lie for her, although I will stand by still love you even if you make a mistake, and that sometimes you make mistakes that even your Mom can’t fix.
I knew this stuck with her when we were in Target one day when she was about ten and I grabbed some dishcloths and tucked them under my arm and forgot about them. When we were leaving because I couldn’t find what I was looking for as we got to the front of the store Hailey stopped and pointed at me, “Mom, aren’t you going to pay for those towels?”
Lesson learned. I’m glad I took the time to reinforce this teachable moment.