Opie and the Broken Window

So this is a picture of the girls' bedroom window.  No, it isn't open.  

"Hey Mom..."

"Hey..."

"So Autumn and I were doing my science fair project and the ball kind of hit the window."

"What window?"

"Our bedroom window."

"What part?  The side or the middle?"

"The side.  Umm...it actually didn't just hit it.  It went all the way through it.  Into the room."

Sigh.

Fun memories.  LOL!  When I took the window in to be fixed, she asked how much and transferred that amount from her savings to my checking.  Good kid, that Addie.  Of course, she has a pretty tough mom and dad.  Ha!  It reminded me of the Andy Griffith show where Opie broke a window and Andy made him pay for it.  The young man in jail said, "Why don't you just give the kid a break?  It's just a window."  Andy replied, "Yeah, it may be just a window now but he needs to know I'm not going to bail him out every time; especially when the problems get bigger."  

Those principles still work today.  Don't be afraid to teach your kids and teens these hard things.  Believe me, I promise you they won't forget the lesson.  

And maybe, they won't even need to be told - they just have the character to do it on their own. :)  

Ultimate parenting goals.