Hmmmm

I am a bit baffled...

Yesterday, a steel rod showed up on our counter. It looked strange, but Ben and I didn't know where it had come from and the boys shook their heads innocently when asked if they knew where it had come from. Today, Ben was working on a Habitat For Humanity House. The boys and I had a great morning together. We hung out with friends at their pool and went to check out some serious yard work that another family was doing. Great morning. When we got home my mind fell on the strange steel rod. I had a bizarre feeling that it must have come from the riding lawn mower-why I don't know. My stomach sunk. Ben worked hours on it last Saturday. Oh no!!!!!!! I had begun asking the boys what part of the lawn mower it had come from. They said they didn't know. So, I went out and tried to start it. I don't know the first the first thing about lawn mowers. It did start, but then would die. The boys were in the garage, wide eyed and just staring at me. (Just wait...in a few years I'll have a whole yard crew. :) Well, I looked at them and asked where that rod came from. They said it was inside the house. I was getting closer to a break down. I couldn't get the thing to go into gear without it dying. I called Sears, tried small motor repair shops (which close at 12:00 NOON on Saturdays!!! The one day that we all need them), called friends and family, as well as researched online. All to no avail. I went outside and tried once more. No success. Breaking moment occured and I told the boys if they didn't fess up they were BOTH getting spankings. Benjamin held his ground, he had no idea where it came from. It was just inside. Luke said it was inside. I threatened again. Luke walked forward and said it was him and pointed that he found it just under the motor "just lying dere. just right dere." Well, I am GLAD someone gave me an answer I was LOOKING FOR.... I had been fishing for that for HOURS now. I tried to start it again. I had called Ben to trouble shoot with him, but couldn't get him. He would know what to do, how to fix it, or at least be able to calm me down until he got home. I was in tears out of pure frustration that I couldn't fix it, I couldn't get ahold of the man (Ben) that could, and I was stuck with NO SOLLUTION. After all, it is Saturday and the grass gets cut on Saturday. LOL :) So, I just start crying. Benjamin and Luke were disturbed by this sight. Benjamin offered a hug, Luke vanished. I saw Luke's bike tip over, but no Luke. I found him sitting on the front porch. His arms were crossed and he was mad, I could tell. I asked him what he was doing, "dust sitting." Good thing, cause you don't want to cross me at this point. With my frustrated energy I went and cleaned out the garage. Ben called and gave me explicit instructions not to worry and not to touch the lawn mower again. He felt sure he could fix it. After all that I had done to research parts and where that steel piece had come from, I felt sure it was a dead end. When he got home he looked at the part and said it didn't come from the lawnmower. He did indeed fix the lawnmower, it was a short somewhere else. WHOOPS>>>>> did you catch that. The steel rod was NOT part of the LAWN MOWER. I just assumed it was the lawn mower when I couldn't get it to start and had a strange rod show up in the house. That meant, I had set the boys up. I essentially made them tell me what I thought I KNEW. I didn't know and immediately assumed that they had broken it, even when they had told me multiple times they had not. When faced with a spanking, Luke took the blame unnecessarily. That means it was a classic case of "MOMMY SET UP!" I threatened them to get an answer I thought was the truth, when in fact it wasn't. Luke was trying to please me. He didn't understand how else to get around it. We still don't know where that rod came from, but it made for a teachable moment with the little guys about the importance of truth even when someone doesn't believe you and a great opportunity to humble myself before them and do what I OFTEN require of them, apologize.

photo courtesy of Flickr