I mentioned here that on Saturday night my boys and I went to a Mother/Son Banquet put on by our church.  Our minister asked me to share are few stories about raising boys…assuming that maybe I’d have a few.  Here’s one of the stories I shared.

This post originally published April 1, 2008 

It was a typical day for the Coppinger household.  (Translate that to mean…it was loud, crazy, we ate a lot of food, and I’m ready for bed…)

The boys and I had signed up to help deliver Meals on Wheels this morning…so we tried to get a few items of school work checked off of our lists before we had to leave at 10:40. 

Well, I tried…but the boys were in slow-mode all morning…

Not only did they not get any school work done before we left…I could barely get them to get their clothes on!

They were incredibly distracted by the fact that their first soccer practice was tonight.  This meant that all they could think about was cleats and shin guards at 10:00 am…even though practice wasn’t until 5:45 pm.

And they were NOT hearing me when I kept telling them to GET DRESSED in regular clothes….not soccer clothes…so that we could go do Meals on Wheels.

So, time was ticking away…and the boys are still in their jammies at 10:15.  They really are not usually this bad about listening and obeying…but soccer excitement won over Mom this morning. 

Here’s what our conversations and activity sounded like this morning:

Me at 10:15 – “Boys…why are you still not dressed?  We have to leave in 25 minutes for Meals on Wheels.”

Justus - “Mom, where’s the soccer shirt that Daddy got me in Mexico?”

Me – “In the dryer…but it’s too cold to wear that shirt…and it’s too early to get ready for soccer.  Please put on warm clothes so that we can deliver meals.”

Elias – “Hey mom…all of the soccer jerseys are in my closet.  How come?”

Me – “Because it was just easier to put them all in one spot during the winter.  But…can you please not worry about the soccer shirts right now…and put on your clothes for delivering meals?”

Justus – “Mom…I’m going to put mine and Asa’s soccer shirts in our closet, okay?  That way we know right where they are!”

Me – “Justus…please get out of your jammies and put on your clothes for delivering meals!”

Elias – “Mom are my shin guards in the bathroom?”

Me – “Buddy…please stop thinking about soccer clothes and get into your other clothes!”

Justus – “Hey Mom, I found my Mexico soccer shirt!”

Me – “Good…but…GET DRESSED!”

Elias – “Do my soccer cleats still fit?”

Me – “Yes I’m sure they do, but right now we’re going to wear your tennis shoes.  Why are you not dressed yet?”

Justus – “Mom, we’ll need to eat an early dinner so that we can make it to soccer practice on time.”

Elias – “What is for dinner?”

Me – “Boys, are you hearing my voice?  GET DRESSED!”

Me – “Malachi, let’s get your shoes on so we can go deliver Meals on Wheels.”

Malachi – “Oh, are we gonna ride bikes?”  (guess he was thinking of a different kind of wheel…)

Me – “No, we’ll be riding in the van.”

Asa – “I’m going to wear my Heelies…that way I really will be delivering meals on wheels!”

Justus – “Oh, I need to go clean the mud out of my heelies so I can wear mine too!”

Me – “No!  Get dressed!  You don’t have time to touch your heelies.”

Justus – “Do you know where my long blue soccer socks are?”

Elias – “Oh, I better get mine out.”

Me – “NO!  We need to leave in four minutes!  No more talking!  Get dressed!  And do not touch your soccer socks.”

Elias – “Where are we going again?”

<sigh>

Okay…anyway…it might have been comical had I not been so frustrated that I was talking to two brick walls (who couldn’t wait to be playing soccer…).

BUT…once all was said and done…and we were actually DRESSED and out delivering meals…it was such a precious time.

I let the boys take turns going in pairs up to the door with the meals…and they did such a good job.  I know the older folks receiving the meals HAD to have felt blessed by these sweet boys bringing them their lunch.  I was so proud of them…

They are learning to be servants…

And hopefully they are learning to get dressed before 10:45 am!