Pierson loves to ‘type’ on the computer. I decided it would be fun to let him type and print a message to Michael. He couldn’t contain his excitement and pride as he typed the message to his daddy. One by one, I modeled which letter to press and watched impatiently as he typed the message. His little fingers pushed the keys, albeit too hard and very slow. Sometimes, multiple letters were pushed in the process, and often the right key was pushed so hard that it duplicated a single letter many times. I used the backspace more times than I could count.

A simple message of “I Love You, Daddy! Pierson” turned into a crazy patience lesson for this mother. A twenty-letter message took longer than some authors take to write a book, I’m sure.

I pointed to the correct key and instructed Pierson, “Hit the D key.”

His little hand came smacking down on the computer.

“PIERSON!” I scolded, “Do it gently; don’t type so hard!”

His reply? “Mommy, I hit it!” Pride was in his voice. It was then I realized that my instructions had been followed 100% as he’d literally carried out my instructions to hit the D key.

For me, Mothering is a daily lesson in patience and also a good reminder that sometimes obedience appears contrary.