Saying no

On Sunday afternoon, Henry and I were working/playing in the yard. He asked if we could have a squirt gun fight and I said no--it's not summer yet.

Henry wanted to play light sabers, so we invited the neighbor boys (who were also outside) over to play. They were looking for a third light saber, and ventured into the back yard.

After a while, I got suspicious--usually their duels (or tri-els) range all over the yard, and I hadn't seen them in a while. So I went looking.

What I found was a soaked Henry and friends, Super Soakers in hand.

Uh oh...time for the neighbors to go home.

Henry was quick to point a finger at the oldest boy, saying it was his idea. My response was, "But you knew the rules. It's important that when someone asks you to do something that you know is wrong to stand up to them. Say no and tell them why."

I think that's easy advice to give, and hard to live by. Saying no has never has been my forte, so I hope I can teach my children well.

Lord, give us courage to stand up and say no when we know something is wrong. Help us to teach our children both your rules and the ability to stand up for what they believe in.