Eli’s violence towards his sisters has been increasing in frequency as of late, so today I sat him down with his Bible for a little lesson.  This is not a lesson I can take credit for, I learned it from my friend Sheri and am thankful for it!

I opened his Bible to Galatians 5:22 and had him read the Fruits of the Spirit.  I then wrote those on a piece of paper and had him write what he thinks each one means.  Here is what he came up with:

Joy – having fun
Patience – waiting
Goodness – being good
Self-control – under control
Love – not hitting
Kindness – being kind
Gentleness – gentle
Peace – no trouble
Faithfulness – trust

I had him discuss further with me Kindness, Gentleness, Goodness, and Self-Control since he just used the word in the definition.  We also talked about how these apply to how he behaves towards his sisters.  I told him this is the plan from now on, that since he loves Jesus and wants Him to help him make better choices, that he has to do his part and work on these.  So when he doesn’t abide by these we will have another lesson.  Not as a punishment, but because I really do want him to learn them.

I’m so thankful to have this tool in my parenting “tool box” and wanted to pass it on in case it might be helpful to anyone else!

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