Alright, let’s play a game, I announced to my family.
My daughter quickly kickstarted the game: Mommy, would you rather take off your clothes in a mall for $1000 or take $100 for doing nothing?
I froze in my car seat. My heart skipped a few beats as my mind replayed the words “take off clothes” and “$1000” a million times in those 30 seconds.
“Mom!!” she shrugged my right shoulder from the back seat.
Trying hard to keep my cool, I adjusted my voice, hiding the traces of shock on my face. Without turning back, I responded, “Ah yes, I would just take that $100”.
Wow, what a predictable response!! I guess my creative mind disappeared into thy parent hat!!
She continued with a winning smile[like she already knew what I would choose], “Mom, you know, you could have easily won $1000 by taking off your clothes inside one of those trial rooms in the mall”.
I couldn’t help but laugh. With a sigh of relief, dropping all that tension I was holding back, I said, “Ah, that’s smart. But how would you prove that to the person who bet on you?”
I saw her thinking horns becoming big as she raised her eyebrows with confused eyes.
My husband shook his head in disapproval as he understood my game plan from across the driver’s seat.
It was the moment of truth. The curious girl was waiting to absorb anything I said like a sponge.
Do you know something better than being smart? It is being right!! I declared. She listened without blinking her eyes.
In situations like this, losing the bet is the right thing to do! I concluded.
But how would I know what is right? She wanted to clarify further. If you were me, what would you do, Mommy?
That’s simple. I would ask myself, what should I do? And then there is this part of me that would…“Oh, I know…the devil and the angel side”, she interrupted.
Yes, that’s right!! Always listen to the angel side of you! She will only let you do the right thing! I finished off the beautiful conversation that made my day!!!
My favourite part of parenting is imparting wisdom to kids when they ask us the most surprising questions.
The truth we plant in them today will help them flourish and prosper, even when we are no longer around to watch them!
© Tamil, 2023
This post is featured in good men project today: https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/what-would-you-do-mommy/
As parents, we have to play along with our kids and I love the way you handled that situation with your daughter. Teaching kids to listen to their 'angel side' and make the right choices is so important. These are the moments that shape their character and set them on a path toward making good decisions in the future. Good job!
I completely got the wrong idea when she said "take off your clothes in public in the mall".