Teachable Moments - do they come with a glass of Merlot?

“Mom,” Will says, “Harry carved his initials into the neighbor’s front door.”

Angel: He did what?!? No, it can’t be. That door is made of METAL.
Devil: That’s my boy! Metal, Schmetal.
Angel: How could my sweet, cherubic Harry do such a thing?
Devil: Hmpf! My cousin, Grover, sits on his left shoulder and talks really loud.
Angel: Hush! You’re not helping over there.
Devil: Just let it go – boys will be boys.
Angel: Boys will be juvenile delinquents, too. You need to call his father.

Phone rings…“Daniel, your son carved his initials in the Smith’s front door.”
“But, it’s a steel fire door. Have you seen it?”
“No, not yet, but he did it with a pocket knife.”
“Well, I think an immediate apology is in order.”

Devil: Oooooh! Now you’ve gone and done it.
Angel: He needs to apologize and offer to repair it.
Devil: Yeah. Can you imagine an eight year old repairing a front door?
Angel: OK, then he needs to pay for the damages.
Devil: You mean you need to pay for his damages.
Angel: Whatever. This is a teachable moment, and he needs to learn from his misstep. Besides, they’re trying to sell their house. Who’s going to buy it when they think their neighbors are a bunch of vandals?
Devil: You’ll never get him in the car.
Angel: Wanna bet?
Devil: I’m always willing to make a deal.

“Hello, Haley? Harry and I need to apologize for your door.”

Devil: Are you happy? You made him cry in front of the neighbor.
Angel: I know. I know. I feel like dirt. Parenting with a conscience is hard work. WWMW MD.D? (What would Marcus Welby, MD, do?)
Devil: Like Haley, I told you to just let it go. She has two boys, too. She understands. It’s just creative expression.
Angel: Well that creative expression goes by the name of vandalism, too.
Devil: Killjoy!
Angel: Just wait until his father gets home.

image from google image