Mercy For My Shoes

My four year old is destined to become a judge. He already has a keen sense of justice. Or at least a better sense of mercy than I do.

Yesterday I could not find my shoes. I had gone up and down the stairs and searched every room of the house at least three times. I was managing to keep my grumbling humorous so as to hide the real anger that was mounting inside because I had a four year old following me and offering to help me in my hunt. But the volume and frequency of my complaints were growing even as I kept them light hearted on the surface, since I had impressionable little eyes and ears watching me. But we were eager to out the door and the delay in finding these shoes was delaying us, and I was getting acutely frustrated. (A scene I hope is not limited to our home?)

The shoes that were acquitted

In the end, my shoes were found – in the first floor coat closet – with all daddy’s shoes, right where they belong, just under some other shoes.

As I went to couch to put them on, my little boy behind me, I was eager for an outlet for my bottled up anger, but still wanting to keep things light for my son, and so I found the “perfect” fun solution, and said to Luke, “Let’s spank the bad shoes for making us late” and proceeded to spank one of the shoes for all the frustration it had inflicted upon me for the past 15 minutes and invited my son to spank the other shoe before I put them on.

Then it happened.

My four year old put me to shame.

Luke simply went into an judicial statement such as a Supreme Court Justice would before handing down a judgement in the highest court of the land.

“Daddy, when you come home, and take off your shoes, you are supposed to take off your shoes and put them in the coat closet so they don’t get dirt on the floor and make a mess in the house. That is where the shoes go. So the shoes were in the right place. So they didn’t do anything wrong. So they don’t deserve a spanking. So I’m not going to spank that shoe and you shouldn’t be spanking that other one either.

And I’m supposed to be the father here! Where did my son get this sense of justice? And for a SHOE? I must be doing something right! I was stunned, but proud.

I told my four year old he was right.

And apologized to the shoe.

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5 Comments:

  1. I think your shoes might just be the first shoes ever to be apologized to! I’m worried they might rally all the other mistreated shoes out there and organize a shoe union and revolt against all the dads out there who have misused and abused their shoes!

  2. Out of the mouth of babes! Wow what a lesson!

  3. That’s classic! Great story, bro. Luke’s growing up so fast!

  4. Since he was little when we play cars and I do a policeman, I’ve said, “You were going too fast, you must give me four dollars because Luke is four.” (using whatever age Luke was) Last night while driving we saw a cop car that had pulled someone over and I said the line above and Luke answers, “But Daddy, they don’t even know know me.” He IS growing up!!

  5. Amazing! Aren’t kids great!
    .-= Lindsey´s last blog ..Think Orange by Reggie Joiner =-.

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