what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, son, go and work today in the vineyard. I will not, he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, I will, sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? The first, they answered. Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

The child who does what we ask without arguing is a blessing and a rarity. The child who negotiates what he is asked to do with complaining and arguing is the norm. In the end, our ‘good’ child is the one who does what they are asked regardless of their attitude in getting it done. While their character no doubt needs some work, we usually measure behavior by what gets done.

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