One Wednesday I received a message from my son’s fourth-grade teacher saying he had been repeatedly talking out of turn and interrupting the other students in the class.
That evening as we drove to the testimony meeting at our branch Church of Christ, Scientist, my husband and I tried to discuss with our son the importance of expressing respect, consideration, and love for his classmates. We talked about the Golden Rule—treating others the way he would want to be treated. But none of these messages seemed to be getting through. Rather than taking responsibility for his actions, he was justifying himself and putting the blame on others.
As our son’s frustration grew, my husband finally told him he needed to stay with us in church that evening instead of going to the children’s room as usual. He complied begrudgingly and proceeded to stomp away from us up to the second row of seats in the church.
