taillights and mercy

Okay, it happened again.

This is Barbara Phinney, beloved mother of a seventeen year old driver's license equipped son.

Yes, my son has had his license for 18 months.

And dented, crashed, banged up our cars three times.

He's still paying us for one incident, and yesterday, he did it again. It was only the taillight and he'll pay for that, regardless of the cost those parts dealers charge. But he had the gall to say, "Well, when you sell me the little car next year, I'll probably take better care of it."

He will?

I'll believe it when I see it.

But the odd thing is, what happened around this incident. I was working at his school, a small Christian school, and he'd dropped me off there, then taken his sister to her classes at university. He'd returned with the news that he'd backed into another vehicle.

Then, it was on the phone to his father, our neighbourhood mechanic, and then off to Chapel.

There, we learned of David, whose Godly character trait was honest. David was that, after misbehaving, and then being told off by Nathan. He was honest, confessed his sins and received forgiveness.

As my son had. I told him so after Chapel.

But on the way home, I told him if he keeps this up, he'll owe his parents his firstborn.

Oops.

Another child like him?

What have I done, asking for that? At my age? Knowing what I know of my son?

Maybe I need to ask forgiveness, in case the Good Lord decides to give me what I so sarcastically told my son I wanted.

So, mums and dads out there, when your child walks into the house with pieces of a taillight in his hands, remember to show mercy, and above all...

Cash only!