"Dad, David spit at me!".... "Well, Alex spit at me first!"

This is how brushing our teeth went this evening. One kid spits on the other kids hands since there were in the sink. The other retaliates by spitting back.

Me: Why are you spitting on each other?

Them: "I spit on him because he spit on me".... "Well I spit on him because he wouldn't get his hands out of the sink."

Can you imagine this scene coming from adults? It would be ridiculous wouldn't it. What if you replace "spit at me" with "pulled in front of me in traffic"? Is it really any different? No.

Here is my response to my boys: You can't control what the other person did, but you can control how you react.

I constantly need a reminder of what I have control over, of what I can't change. Then I need to reshift my mind to work on the things I do have control over.

Without these reminders, we all just play the victim.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.