I think it may be starting to "stick."

As a parent, there are few prouder moments than the ones where your kiddo demonstrates that the things you've spent the last days/weeks/months/years teaching them are starting to "stick." Not just that they are obeying out of fear or obligation, but evidence that the values you hold are becoming values of their own, and they are living out the lessons not just in your presence and when you are watching, but even in moments where they could easily get away with anything they might otherwise desire.

We've had a few of those. :) And tonight my little girl actually made me and her daddy quite proud.

See, we've got this rule in our house that has worked for us. When E has a tough day at school with listening to her teachers first time (she's got this passive aggressive, slow-to-action, type of disobedience that will make you C-R-A-Z-Y...), or if she's had to sit in the time-out chair for any reason, she must come home and immediately bring me her doggies and blankies (aka, most prized possessions), and they stay in my room on my dresser until the end of the next school day when we wait to see if the report from her teacher shows that her listening skills returned that next day. For us, this has seemed to be the best way to reinforce what's going on with her behavior at school and demonstrate to her that it is important to us that she listen to, respect, and obey ALL authorities God has placed in her life - not just her parents.

So, today, we got a bad report. Actually, the teacher put it quite mildly ("Mommy, I think we need to look around at home and see if we can find E's listening ears. She seems to have lost them."); but E filled in the back story as we pulled away:

Me: "E, it makes me really sad that you didn't listen to your teachers today."
E: "I know, mommy."
Me: "Wanna tell me what happened?"
E: "Well, when we were on the playground, Ms. Amy said it was time to go inside, but I just was hanging on the bars, so they closed the door."
Me: "Oh - so you didn't go inside when they called so you got left behind."
E: "Yeah, so I had to sit in the Winnie the Pooh chair, but I didn't want to, so I sat on the floor."
Translation: I threw a big fit because they made me come inside, and was so mad about it that I flopped on the floor instead of sitting in the timeout chair where I was supposed to be sitting.

Ouch.

So....needless to say, doggies and blankies were gone....long gone for the rest of the day and night.

But tonight something happened that really surprised me. L and I were gone to a friends' house while my parents had E at home. Since I had taken doggies and blankies for the night, I decided to sneak in an opportunity to give them a bath. At some point during the night, my dad pulled them out of the dryer, all warm and cozy, excited to give them to E because he assumed she might be missing them (not having been told the story of the day). However, as soon as she saw him rounding the corner with them in his hands, the Spirit inside of her leaped right out, "No, no, no, PopPop! I can't have those. They have to stay in mommy's room because I didn't listen to my teachers today."

To hear my mom and dad tell the story tonight when I got home, my heart just overflowed. I know she loves those things, but it's obvious that she is learning to love some other truths just a little more - at least in some moments, and I'll take every moment I can get. Parenting is hard - a little like the parable that Jesus talks about with the sower and the seeds that fell on different kinds of soil (see Matthew 13). As parents, we throw our seeds out every day but - especially when they're so little - it's hard to know what takes root in their hearts. And it may be weeks, months, or even years before you harvest. Days like this - moments when God encourages you a little and gives you a glimpse of what He already knows about their hearts - are usually few and far between. And they make the hard work and the daily struggle more than worth it. Not just because I am proud of her honesty and how that reflects on me as a parent, but because I am seeing continued evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in her heart, evidence that he is removing her heart of stone and replacing within her a heart of flesh, evidence that He is calling her to Himself and giving her the grace to listen and respond. And there is NOTHING more precious than to know she is starting to respond to the voice of her Savior.