Reflection 15: Raising a Boy and Learning About Grace

So my son is about two and a half. And he is a boy’s boy.

He loves dirt. He loves running. He has more energy than I know what to do with. His daycare teachers say he’s “fast for his age.” He’s been labeled a runner more than once. And while I wouldn’t call him aggressive, he’s definitely not the most gentle kid in the room.

He is unapologetically himself.

Last night, that personality was in full force. He was playing and got excited—because when he gets excited, he just goes all in. At one point, he grabbed a full handful of my hair and yanked. Not a little tug. A real, “I genuinely said ow” kind of pull. Three times. Later he nailed me in the head with a fake container of ice cream. I’ve never been attacked by pretend ice cream before, but here we are. There were also little hands to my face, hitting out of excitement.

We corrected him. We told him it wasn’t okay. He said sorry.

And one thing I try very hard not to do is hold it over him once he apologizes.

But if I’m being honest? I was frustrated. My head hurt. My feelings were a little hurt too. There’s that human part of me that wants to say, “Okay, get away from me. I need a minute.”

And that’s when it hit me this morning as I reflected on it.

This is probably just a tiny glimpse of how the Lord feels with us.

He knows our personalities from beginning to end. From the moment we were conceived to the last second of our lives. He knows when we’re going to fumble. He knows when we’re going to let our temper, pride, or selfishness shine through. He knows when we’re about to do exactly what He’s asked us not to do.

And yet we still do it.

I can almost imagine Him saying, “Please, just do what I’m asking you to do.” And still—we mess up. We repeat the mistake. We say sorry. And we do it again.

But He doesn’t stop loving us.
He doesn’t stop forgiving us.
He doesn’t stop welcoming us back.

As a parent, I get a small glimpse of that dynamic. Obviously, I am not the Creator of the universe. But every time I parent my son, I feel a tiny bit of it.

There are moments I want to hold onto the frustration. Moments I want to stay upset about the hair pulling and the ice cream assault. But instead, I’m given the opportunity to forgive. To correct him. To guide him. To love him anyway.

And that’s the balance, isn’t it?

Forgiveness doesn’t mean letting your kids run wild. The Lord corrects us—oh, does He correct us. And it’s our job to guide our children too. When mama’s hair gets yanked, we say, “That’s not okay.” We teach them to apologize. We help them choose better next time.

But we also love them without keeping score.

I was frustrated. I wanted to stay mad. But reflecting on it reminded me that parenting gives us the chance to embody Christ in a small, everyday way.

To correct.
To forgive.
To love anyway.

And that perspective makes the hard moments a little softer.