Do The Right Thing

I try not to have too many rules at our house. I enforce bathtime, bedtime, and some clean up for my own sanity. No hurting others, of course. Beyond that, just about anything goes... climbing on tables, food in the living room, dessert before dinner, jumping on the bed - you get the idea. When it's feasible, I try to give Megan a choice, and explain to her the ramifications of her actions. I hope that she chooses the right path, but if she doesn't her only punishment is a disapproving glance from me (and hopefully a guilty conscience)

Yesterday we found some Dora stickers in the bathroom at Tumblebees. At first I asked her if she wanted to keep them, and she got excited. Then I back-stepped and told her that actually, we should probably turn them in to Lost and Found in case some other child was missing them. She was disappointed, and told me "But I like them." So I just told her "I think the right thing would be to give them back." She thought about it some, then handed them to me. I asked her "What do you want me to do with them?" "Turn them in to Lost and Found." I hugged her and told her I was very proud of her.

Teaching her to make the right decisions is the best way for me to know she's being a good person, even when I am not there to look over her shoulder.