Secret Service = Ding Dong Ditching

Despite our best efforts, our kids may not always learn the lesson we're trying to teach.

Observe:

The other day I allowed Carter to ride his bike around our block while I got lunch ready.  When I opened the front door to call him in, I saw him a few houses down, walking calmly up to their front door.  I watched as he rang the door bell, and then sprinted back to his bike to speed away.   

Are you kidding me? I stood there, stunned!  How many houses did he do this to and where did he get this?...Then I realized what was happening.  The 4 year old innocence of this situation.

We had a little family game once upon a time of making yummy treats and leaving them on doorsteps, ringing the doorbell and running away.  This is Carter's reenactment of the kind service we were trying to teach.  Minus the cookies.

Enter in one of my best Mommy-Teaching-Moments.

Carter, What were you doing?

I was ringing the doorbell and running away.

I know, but I think you forgot the most important part.

What?

I think you know.  What did you forget to leave?

Well I wanted to leave cookies, but we didn't have any.

Well, we need to leave something, or even just say hello!  When we ring people's doorbells, we just want them to know that we were thinking of them and wish them a happy day.  When you rang the doorbell and ran away, you forgot to make them feel good.  (then we did a role play thing...no lecture is complete without a good role play).  So what do you think we should do?

I think I should go back and make them feel special.

I think you're right.  How about I help you make some cookies for them, so we can do it right this time.

So, off we went to the kitchen to make the most kid-friendly recipe I knew -- since this was HIS fiasco he got himself in to, it was HIS job to do it.  No Bakes -- the chocolate peanut butter oatmeal kind.  (Click here for a good recipe).

After they cooled, he put them in baggies, added this cute little note, and off he went on his bike, on his own, to ring every doorbell again, HAND them the cookies, and apologize for ding dong ditching.

Thankfully, I got sweet calls from neighbors, instead of the citizen's-arrest type.  And before you dole out the Mom-of-the-year award, mind you this was ONE moment of ONE day.  I'm just as surprised as you how well the teaching worked.  Just goes to show what saying a prayer first can do.