Cup of Tea

By Dr James Dobson

Have you noticed that children sometimes try to be helpful, but it only makes your life more complicated?

I heard a story about a mother who was sick in bed with the flu. Her darling daughter wanted so much to be the good nurse. She fluffed the pillows and she brought a magazine to read. Then she even showed up with a surprise cup of tea.

"Why, you're such a sweetheart," the mother said as she drank the tea. "I didn't know you even knew how to make tea."

"Oh, yes," the little girl replied. "I learnt by watching you. I put the tea leaves in the pan and then I put in the water and I boiled it, and then I strained it into a cup. But I couldn't find the strainers, so I used the fly swatter instead."

"You what?!" the mother screamed.

And the little girl said: "Oh, don't worry, Mum, I didn't use the new fly swatter, I used the old one."

When kids try their hardest and get it all wrong in spite of themselves, what's a parent to do? What mothers and fathers often do is prevent their children from carrying out any responsibility that could result in a mess or a mistake. It's just easier to do everything for them than to clean up afterwards. But I urge parents not to fall into that trap. Your child needs his mistakes because that's how he learns. So, go along with the game every now and then, even if the tea you drink tastes a little strange.