Choice and Consequence

It all started with the girls out riding their bikes.  I was busy making dinner, and the boys were playing with cars in the family room.  Steve had called a few minutes before and was expected to arrive soon.  All was well.

About ten minutes later, Steve walked in the door.   We chatted about the day and he asked me if I knew that the girls were at the end of the street on their bikes.  I said, yes, I knew, and that as long as they were still on our road it would be ok. 

About five minutes later, I heard bikes pulling in and crying outside the back door.  Hmm.  The girls come filing in with tears pouring down their cheeks and talking over each other.  I can't make out a word.  But I can see that they've been rolling around in the dirt.  Aliza, who is usually impeccably clean, has dirt smears and rips in her shirt.  In her hand she's cradling something.  Grace looks a little hammered too, but that's pretty normal.

Once they've calmed down, their story starts spilling out.  They were innocently minding their own business while riding bikes.  Out of nowhere, this attack dog jumps up, knocks Aliza off of her bike, and eats her glasses.  That's right.  EATS her glasses.  She shows me the proof in her hand:  a pair of blue Juicy glasses that DO in fact belong to her.  They are snapped in half, missing the lenses, and have tell-tale bite marks. 

I'm starting to believe their story.

As I hug both girls' simultaneously (Grace was scared out of her wits too), I look at Steve and we both start snickering.  We couldn't help it!  The facts were all there;  a dog had in fact eaten her glasses.  But it was hilarious from a mom/dad perspective.  After composing ourselves, we started probing for answers to this mysterious dog. 

I will admit, our girls are sly.  They wanted us to believe that they weren't anywhere near the dog's house.  He magically appeared on the road where they were riding and attacked with no cause.  But Steve knew better.  He had seen them only ten minutes ago IN the dog's driveway and OFF of their bikes.  Not so innocent NOW, are they?  When we presented our evidence, they finally relented and admitted that they had been up to no good.  But how could we discipline when Aliza had scratches, a ripped shirt, and ruined glasses?  This was how my girls pleaded.  Ha!  And they were most worried about how Aliza was going to see without a pair of glasses to see with.

Here came the "I'm a mean mom" talk.  I explained that they made bad choices (going into the neighbor's driveway, approaching an unknown dog, lying about all the above) and now they were receiving the consequences of those choices.  No tears in the world were going to sway me.  I gave them one last hug, told them to put away their bikes, and giggled one last time with Steve.  Man were those glasses ruined!

My one hope is that they learned a lesson.  Don't lie to mom.  Please, please don't approach ANY animal without asking me and the owner first (this has always been a challenge with all of my kids).  And when we make a choice, there's a consequence.  The basic facts of life.

We'll see if it sticks.