It’s interesting how life sometimes just slaps you in the face with reminders. 

In fact, sometimes, it’s almost comical.

I volunteer as part of our school’s Athletic Boosters. We are all just parent volunteers trying to do our part to support our athletes, coaches, and athletic programs. I work with some incredible people who care about trying to improve the community in which we live.

It’s really that simple.

And, it’s a labor of love.

Recently, someone posted in a community Facebook forum something that essentially painted the Boosters in a negative light. It was amazing how fast people jumped on the bandwagon to add their comments and opinions to the original poster’s statement.

But here’s the thing. The situation they were ranting and blaming the Boosters for (increased fees) had absolutely nothing to do with the Boosters.

The Athletic Boosters don’t set the fees. 

We simply raise funds to help with athletic programs and team costs.

So, a bit annoyed by the situation, here’s what I said to the Boosters, “It’s interesting how people jump on the bandwagon (I’m just as guilty as many of these people are..perhaps under different circumstances)…they don’t know the very basics…or the background…yet they get all fired up…So many people extended the invite to come to a meeting and ask questions….but people don’t really want to put in the work that would involve….a GOOD LIFE LESSON REMINDER.”

Words of wisdom, right?

Right. Get the facts before you go all Tasmanian Devil-ish on innocent people.

This, my friends, might be what they call foreshadowing.

Who could have guessed that I would, once again, get the life lesson reminder to not jump to conclusions or go crazy without having all the facts… only about 48 hours after this exchange?

It was literally, only two days later.

Two stinkin’ days. I must be really dense.

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Kyler and I were the only ones home that Friday night.

The girls had been gone since right after school and Greg had been at work since 7 am. Kyler and I had returned home from errands and he was supposed to be upstairs getting his pajamas on and brushing his teeth.

But, I could tell from the music blasting from Alexa and the thumps on the floor – that he wasn’t likely doing any such thing. So, I went upstairs to speed the process along.

He heard me coming and was suddenly very motivated to get his pajamas on.

While he was in his room, I walked into the bathroom to get his toothbrush ready. Imagine my surprise when I discovered what appeared to be PURPLE NAIL POLISH on the brand-new linen cabinet. Mind you, this is the linen cabinet that was the culminating piece of our 6-month bathroom remodeling project. It had only been installed since LATE NOVEMBER.  

(And, as is typical of ALL of our DIY projects, the bathroom remodel came in several thousand dollars over budget. Was I perhaps a little extra sensitive to wanting it to look new for more than a mere 4 months? Maybe, but I don’t think so. Call me crazy.)

Enter my less-than-stellar parenting skills.

I rather sternly called Kyler into the bathroom to inquire as to WHAT IN THE HECK was all over the cabinet.

He looked at me, with a bit of shock and said, “I don’t know.”

I continued.

“Kyler, what did you do? Why is there nail polish on the cabinet?”

Again, he proclaimed his innocence and said, “I don’t know. I didn’t do it.”

“Kyler,” I persisted. “You were the only one upstairs and the girls and dad have been gone all day – no one else could have done this. You know it’s always better to be honest than to not tell the truth. How did this nail polish get here?”

Looking more than a little fearful at this point, and yet maintaining a completely straight face, he sincerely replied, “Maybe it was a leprechaun?” (Are you kidding me?!? Granted, it was, after all, St. Patrick’s Day and there had been many conversations at home and school about leprechauns.)

However, I was not having it. Because even if I didn’t know for sure how the nail polish got there, you can bet I was 100% CERTAIN THAT IT WAS NOT A LEPRECHAUN.

Highly irritated, I said, “I’m going to ask the girls but this is your chance to tell me what really happened.” 

(Clearly, there is no innocent until proven guilty with me.)

He cried, “Mom, it wasn’t me! I promise!” With tears streaming down his face, I left the room and texted the girls. 

Within seconds of me sending the picture and asking the girls if anyone could offer an explanation, Kenzie responded that she had bumped the cabinet after painting her nails. She had been in a hurry and had forgotten to clean it up.

It felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.

I yelled for Kyler to come into my room – which he did, somewhat hesitantly.

Throwing my arms around him while fighting my own tears, I offered a very sincere apology. I told him how sorry I was, that I shouldn’t have gotten mad without knowing all the facts and talking to the girls. I told him that moms and dads make lots of mistakes and that I should have believed him when he honestly claimed he didn’t know who/what/how the nail polish got on the cabinet. And, I asked him to forgive me. We even had a quick discussion on what it means to repent – to apologize when we have done something wrong and to ask for forgiveness.

Of course, he was super-quick to forgive because that is what 7-year-old boys do.

Through his tears, but now with a smile on his face, he said, “Mom, I was so scared because you were mad – I even started to wonder if I had gotten the nail polish on the counter and I had just forgotten.”

Again. Lesson learned: Don’t fly off the handle without knowing all the facts.

This is as applicable to parenting, as it is to marriage, to friendship, to work, to church, and even to volunteer situations.

How often do I judge when I really don’t know the entire situation? And why do I do that?

It’s interesting how life sometimes just slaps you in the face with reminders. 

I’ll probably have to be reminded of this again and again.

But maybe, next time, don’t try blaming the leprechauns.