I am in a moral dilemma (slight exaggeration here). My son left the table and also left his bowl, cup, and fork on the table. The bowl of half-eaten macaroni still sits there.
He knows we all clear our plate to help the family run smoother and to take some burden off mom. We have been over and over this. I asked him to clear it, but he said he was getting dressed. That was 15 minutes ago. (Earlier today we timed him for a school assignment and it took him 1 minute to get dressed). Now he is just playing on the floor with his balloon Ninja Turtle.
So do I clear the plate because it would make my life easier? I could get the table wiped off and dishes loaded and move on with my day. I don’t want to ask him again because I vowed to nag less in 2011. Plus if I cleared it for him, I would be serving him and showing love and modeling that sometimes we clean up things that aren’t ours.
Or do I leave the plate to teach him accountability and responsibility? And although this is a small gesture, it is better to learn these principles at 5 than at 15. I have often fantasized that I would just leave his plate. And then dinner would come around and the natural consequence would be to not get a clean plate because he didn’t take care of the last one. If only I had the patience. Plus I am not sure he would even notice if I cleared his plate so those lessons mentioned earlier probably wouldn’t be learned.
This matter is a small and maybe a silly decision, but as parents we are faced with several small decisions like this daily that add up to shape or children. So should I clear or not clear his plate?
![I spoke in church today and said the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest act of Charity. I read Moroni 7:45-47 to make my point. But wherever there was the word ‘Charity’ I substituted it out for ‘the Atonement of Jesus Christ.’ See if these scripture verses now have new meaning for you:
“And the Atonement of Jesus Christ suffererth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth in the truth,
[The Atonement of Jesus Christ] beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not the Atonement of Jesus Christ, ye are nothing, for the Atonement of Jesus Christ never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-
But the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”
So Easter really reminds us of love. The first and greatest commandment.](https://www.raisinglemons.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
I like the changes you made explaining “The Lemon”, much easier to understand and it also explains your blog title perfectly. Here’s to raising bright and refreshing children! Can’t wait to read more…
Don’t clear his plate! i like the idea of even leaving it there untl the next meal. they can always have the option of washing it off before they use it but i have feeling that wouldn’t happen more than once. i am going to do it and i’ll let you know how it goes.
Leave it. I’m hard nosed. If they don’t learn it now then it just gets harder to teach later. Your service comes in washing them and in so many other aspects.
Don’t Clear it. Stay strong.