How to Stand Up to a Bully...Primary Style

Our ward Primary Presidency is awesome!  At the beginning of the year they asked the Primary children what topics they wanted to learn about.  Each topic has been assigned as a talk each week.  I love the thought of teaching the kids to apply the scriptures to everyday situations that arise in life. This past Sunday was Ethan's turn.  He was assigned the topic:  How to Stand Up to a Bully.

On Friday, during our usual scripture scavenger hunt, I had Ethan write his talk instead...all by himself. Wanting to help him and to get him started, I told Ethan that I had the perfect scripture story for him.  One that I love.  But I didn't get that far because he just as excitedly told me that he had a story he wanted to use, his favorite:  David and Goliath.   I guess my story of Nehemiah and Sandballot will have to wait for another day.

He was a cutie and sat at our computer and didn't ask for my help once.  I was a little surprised by this.  Actually, I think I helped him find the story in the Old Testament.  That was it.

So, as I tend to do, I got distracted and went about my stuff that day.  It wasn't until I sat down at the computer later and saw his talk saved on the desktop that I read it.  And boy was my mommy heart smiling.  The way he applied the story was phenomenal and I had no idea he could make those connections.

Here was his connection, I mostly left them in his words:

"David stood up to a bully, even though he was smaller, because he was bigger on the inside because he had faith and goliath didn’t.  If you get bullied tell a adult because an adult is like your faith and your faith can beat a bully. Think of the story of david and goliath."

For a 10 year old, I thought this was ah-mazing!  

You Weren't Raised in a Barn

That was a phrase I heard when I was growing up.  Oh, it was never directed at me of course, but for sure at my siblings.  lol.

The funny thing is that I have heard myself saying that exact same thing to my kiddos.

Manners.  I truly believe they are the greatest service we can do for others.  Manners really don't impact ourselves but are for other people.  I mean, if I chew with my mouth open I can't really see the food.  But, you, sitting across from me would see the food.  See, it's for you not me.

We have been teaching our kiddos manners since seriously before they could speak.  Truly.  I know because I taught them a few sign language signs that included:  Please, Thank You, More, Milk.  (Because my boys were so close in age, I needed my oldest son [still a baby himself] to be able to communicate with me after his brother was born.)

Fast forward about a decade later and I still was wanting to pull my hair out at some of their "social graces" at the dinner table.  I couldn't take it.  Most especially the open mouth chewing.  Really they aren't that bad, but I can.not.handle.the.chewing.with.your.mouth.open.while.you.have.food.in.there!!!  (That also applies to gum.)

I honestly once stopped dating a guy because he didn't chew with his mouth closed.

To say this is a pet peeve is understated.

So, I read an idea online and knew I had to try it.  

I pulled out this little guy from our Pass the Pigs game.  I told my kiddos that for every eating infringement they would get the pig passed to them.  (Only Mom and Dad are allowed to determine that the pig gets passed.)  And, the person left holding the pig at the end of dinner has to clear the table.  

Of course they wanted to know what would happen if I still had the pig at the end of dinner.  I told them that I would happily clear the table and smile the whole time because it meant they were learning manners.

To my great surprise, the "game" has worked.  And it worked quickly!  I don't think it even took one full week before I was left with the pig at the end of dinner.  And, now it happens consistently.  I am so excited at the progress I have seen in my kiddos.  Unfortunately, if they aren't paying attention they revert back to old habits.  We need to make manners the new habit.

And, Laney for sure loves it and is always getting the pig out if I forget.

Hopefully, my kiddos will never have to be asked if there were raised in a barn again!