This stuff works, people

You might remember my post from a few days ago about Mommy Time-out. This really works.

I woke up early last Saturday morning to take Mariana to the high school. It was still dark so I put my glasses on, only to realize that there was a line going across one eye. I took them off, washed them, and tried again. Still a line going from my eyeball to the outside edge of the lens. I took them off and looked closer this time. I saw what appeared to be either a crack or scratch. We left as I was trying to figure out what could have happened.

It didn't take long for my mind to wake up and put a few things together. I remembered seeing a particular child sitting at the kitchen table playing with a safety pin. He and his safety pin were very close to my glasses but I couldn't imagine why he would have picked them up nor why he would have had his safety pin anywhere near them.

I was mad. I had a scratched lens that was annoying to look through and no proof as to what had happened or what to do about it. I spent a few hours mulling over the situation and once again, God's wisdom was better than anything I could have come up with or imagined on my own.

When my son woke up, I asked for his hand. I very calmly placed the safety pin in his palm. I said, "I want you to know that you are forgiven. I do hope that you will come and talk to me when you are ready."

It took all day but after supper he came to me and said he wanted to talk.

I'm certain that if I had blamed him or yelled at him or even asked for a flat-out confession, I would still be playing detective, trying to find out what had happened to my glasses. Instead, on his terms, he came to explain and apologize.

And it's a good story, too.  Kind of like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.  See, this is how it went:

If you're playing with a safety pin, you are also going to want to play with wax.

(Mom's note: I have no idea where the wax came from and I decided it was better not to ask.)

If you're playing with wax, you are going to want to play with Mom's glasses.

If you play with Mom's glasses, you are going to get wax on them.

If you get wax on Mom's glasses, you are going to have to get it off before she finds out.

If you want to remove the wax before Mom finds out, you will need a safety pin.

If you take a safety pin to a pair of glasses, it will scratch the lens.

If you scratch the lens, you'd better put wax, safety pin, and glasses back where you found them so Mom doesn't find out.

You get the logic here, right?  Of course you do.

The story gets better. You think it'd be really easy (if not expensive) to order a new lens but what you don't know is that my eye doctor changed practices since my last appointment this summer. I called the new practice last Saturday to order the new lens. They told me that they didn't have all of my doctor's old records. They told me they would look to see if mine was among the records that they did have and assured me they'd call me back that day.  They also told me the same thing on Tuesday and Friday. I'm still waiting. And still seeing the world with a line through it.

I think I'm going to march myself over there, ask for the receptionist's hand, place my glasses in her hand and say, "I want you to know that you are forgiven. I do hope that you will come and talk to me when you're ready."

That'll work, right?