Tapped out of Life Lessons

**Ben at nineteen months. Three stitches in the eyebrow after he tripped and fell into the wooden rocking chair.

As any good parent will tell you, you can find a "life lesson" in any situation. We can always learn from how other people do things, or from how they don't do things. Ben, for example, gets more from practical lessons in situations he can see first hand, so we are always trying to throw in one or two! Last night provided us with a whole slew of practical life lessons.

One of Ben's best friends at church is Ramsey. When Ramsey and Ben play together they are a bunch of spitfires! It usually ends up with a game of chase through the church, playing hide-out in the boys bathroom, or hide and seek in classrooms. What are good friends for?! Anyways, I didn't see it happen, but I guess Ramsey fell down and hit his head on the side of one of our sanctuary chairs, putting a nice gash around his crown. Like all other boys, he seemed unfazed of the blood dripping on his shirt. But like all moms, his mom, noticed the blood staining his shirt.

**They ended up taking him to the ER, and he's fine. I heard that they just glued his wound closed. Ben will love hearing about that later!

Anyways, Ben was terribly concerned for his friend. We went home in separate cars, but I was already thinking about talking to Ben about this. When we were tucking Ben in tonight I started to ask Ben about what happened, and I started to bring up:

Life Lesson #1: This is why mommy's and daddy's tell you not to run in church. First of all, it's very disrespectful because it's the house of God. Secondly, there are lots of things that can hurt you, or that you can break if you're zipping down the aisles.

Jason cut me off in the middle of Life Lesson #1 and told me that they already talked about it. Ben had lots of questions about Ramsey and his welfare, so they covered that, and they prayed for him.

So I kissed Ben goodnight and let Jason put him down to bed. When Jason came out of Ben's room later, I was sure to ask him about what they talked about on the way home. This was our conversation...

J: He was really concerned about Ramsey, and he asked me what's going to happen to his head. So I told him that this is why we tell him to be careful at church because we don't like for people to get hurt. I told him that Ramsey will be going to the doctor, though, and the doctor will fix him up and help him.

S: Oh! Did you tell him that this is why we have doctors? And this is how they help us? (Life Lesson #2 - because Ben is a little afraid of them.)

J: Yes, I did. And I told him that doctors are nice and they want to make us feel better. So then Ben asked, "How does the doctor know what to do?"

S: Oh! I can tell him tomorrow about how doctors have to go to school to learn how to heal people, and they have to pay attention and work really hard....(Life Lesson #3)

J (as he's smiling at me): I told him that too. I've covered all the bases. I told him how they go to school for a long time, and they have to listen and pay attention to learn, and that it's hard work. Ben told me, "I don't think I can listen for that long."

I wasn't sure if I should be proud that Jason snatched up all of those life lessons and took the time to tell them to him, or if I should be irked that I didn't get to teach him one! I guess that as long as they are being learned, I should be happy!

Anyways, to Ramsey's mommy, I hope he's feeling better today because his friend, Ben, was very concerned! On a side note, I really, really like your Mustang. Please let me drive it again some time soon!