File under “Pyrrhic victories in parenting”
We have 4 children who brush their own teeth right now, and oftentimes they are all trying to use the same toothpaste and sink at the same time. That is the context for the following exchange I overhead a few nights ago between our 8yo and 5yo sons (presumably during a dispute about who got to apply the toothpaste first):
8yo (in a frustrated tone): “Put others before yourself!”
5yo: “Be gracious to those who are younger than you.”
So nice to know the Christ-following principles we are trying to teach them are being applied appropriately. Not.