Isn't it interesting how God teaches lessons? My children are like most; they believe that rules are set for them just so we can sit back and laugh at how we are "ruining" their lives. Well, today my eldest learned just how untrue that is.
We live in a neighborhood but there are woods pretty far back on our property. Walk back there far enough and you will eventually walk into someone else's backyard. The rule is that our children do not go back into the woods. This came up after having to deal with ticks, scratches and occasional snake sightings. Our neighbor's kids are allowed to go through the woods. That doesn't bother me. Everyone has their own rules.
My kids went out to play with their kids before lunch. About 30-40 minutes later, my daughter came flying in the door shaking and crying. She ran to me, obviously terrified. A woman we did not know was behind her saying that she had gotten lost in the woods. It took about an hour before we got the whole story.
It seems that the neighbors had a sitter while their parents were at the football game. They and the sitter took a bout through the woods. MY children, who know they are not supposed to, decided to join them. After a while, my daughter decided to go back home; except she didn't really know where she was. And she didn't know if she was supposed to go right or left. And she couldn't find her way out of the woods. And when she did, the yards all looked the same. She ended up coming out in the yard of a couple a few streets over where a man asked her what was wrong. She was crying hysterically but told him she was lost and where she lived. He plugged it in his GPS and his wife drove her home.
Let me just say that I am VERY glad that I didn't know the part about having to be driven home by people we don't know when she first came in. I am, unfortunately, someone who tends to get angry first. Not on purpose, but it's just my first reaction, especially when tied to my own fear. She was so terrified about being lost that she has no idea just how lucky she was to come across nice people who were kind enough to bring her home. I asked her if she understood why we make rules now. She adamantly answered, "Yes! To keep us safe!"
This whole incident not only scared her to death but scared me as well. The idea of her being in some stranger's car, the idea of her being so terrified and panicked. I just hate it. I know it actually taught her a good lesson, but I don't want her to live in fear either. This will definitely be a jumping off point for teaching many lessons in the near future.
8 comments:
Wow. I'm so glad that nice people helped her and that she made it home safely. That's very scary.
I am glad too that she was ok. I had this very same thing happen here a couple of weeks ago. tow boys from the street behind us, through the woods, knocked on my sliding door. It was pitch black out. My hubby is a fireman and has seen a lot of this before. Dad came to get them really quick and I'm sure they learned their lesson too.
Oh, I am so glad she made it home safely. That is so scary. :( I am sure she learned her lesson.
Glad to hear everything was okay
Amen and again Amen!
Glad she made it home safely. Nice lesson learned and no harm done. I think she will remember this for a long long time.
I'm so glad the story turned out well. It's too bad that our children have to learn the hard way that we set rules for a good reason. I worry about my children too. I usually get the response: "oh, come on Mom, that won't happen to me!" Take care and hug your babies tight!
Glad she's safe. My boys finally figured out that we weren't mean parents when some friends started going wild because their parents let them and didn't place rules on them. My kids understand the rules now, and, because they are really good kids, they get fewer restrictions now that they've 'earned' them by behaving responsibly.
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