I was glad that she didn't see his response to her cheerful comment as she moved along. I was following behind her as he made a mocking face and stuck out his tongue at her. I was so taken aback that I literally gasped at his rude antic. The lady, who appeared to be his grandmother, seemed to be just as shocked as I was. To her credit, she corrected him as we moved on. My mother undoubtedly had her hearing aid in only one ear today, for she didn't hear the exchange between the grandmother and her grandson. It certainly would have ruined the pleasant mood that she was in to have been aware of his rudeness.
Children can be unpredictable and often do things that embarrass parents and grandparents alike, but this little fella's spontaneous retort had an edge to it that I've not personally sensed in a child that young. Project that attitude a few years into the future, and there will be dark trouble brewing if someone doesn't come to his rescue.
Children need trained and disciplined for their own sake, as well as for those around them. While we like for our children to act like little angels, they aren't and they don't. The grandmother did the right thing and responded with correction. Too often, I've heard children merely be shouted down or disrespected when they've done something amiss. That isn't training them to live sociably with others, but rather shames them and stirs a rebellious heart.
An excellent book that I'd recommend to any parent or grandparent is Parenting:14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family by Paul David Tripp. This is a book that offers grace to parents as they rescue their children from themselves and the natural path they are on toward self-destruction. To watch a brief video about the book, just click on its image.
