This is the first week of autumn–my favorite time of year! I thought this week’s blog would be a great time for a beautiful fall craft and a devotional object lesson tie-in. Sounds like a great idea, right? If only I’d known 🙁
Inspiration
First, I researched my fall facts. (Did you know it’s not the cool weather that turns leaves into brilliant reds and oranges but the lack of sunlight?)
Then I read through different verses and highlighted this one as a devotional tie-in to the craft.
Let your light shine so others can see it. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will bring glory to your Father who is in Heaven.
Matthew 5:16
Next, I searched Pinterest for a kid-friendly fall craft, something simple enough for kids and a great addition to fall home decor.
The epic fail
I pulled a mason jar from the kitchen cupboard; mod podge (craft glue) and a brush from my craft closet; and went outside to gather fall leaves (and to the store to get silk ones just in case). Then I went to work.
I brushed mod podge, the craft glue, on the back of the real leaves and pressed them on the mason jar.
Nothing stuck.
I brushed mod podge on the silk leaves and pressed them on the jar.
Nothing stuck.
Well, let’s try Elmer’s Glue-All instead.
Nothing.
Maybe if I brushed tempera paint onto the leaf and pressed it onto the side jar.
Nothing.
Acrylic paint?
Nothing.
So I went back and did what I should have done in the first place–read the comments on the Pinterest craft.
"I tried this..it was an epic Pinterest fail!"
"This was a disaster. lol!!"
"Mod Podge didn't work for this, at least not for me. What am I missing here?"
The ones who’d saved the failed craft were those who used a glue gun, not exactly a kid-friendly craft.
Life lesson
There’s nothing so disappointing as making plans and having them fall apart. Kids experience disappointment all the time. A pool party that rainclouds ruin. A sleepover that’s cancelled because someone’s sick. A Pinterest craft that’s an epic fail. A friend that’s let your son or daughter down.
It’s like what they hoped and worked for was all for nothing.
What are you going to do?
I understand when parents try to comfort their kids. But I get frustrated when they go over the top trying to fix things–buy them ice cream, promise a bigger better party than the one that got canceled. Disappointments happen. We’re not going to be around to fix things all the time. But we can help them handle disappointments in a way healthy way and explain a few options.
Option #1 – Feel sorry for yourself
Option #2 – Call up a friend and complain. “Nothing is turning out right. What am I going to do?!”
Option #3 – Ask for help and take on the challenge to come up with a creative solution.
Instead of feeling down about what you can’t do, turn your energy toward what you can. Finding a creative alternative might just turn a flop into an unexpected surprise.
Be full of joy in the Lord always. I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens. Philippians 4:4, 11 (ncv)
Have your plans ever flopped? How did you handle it?
How do you help your kids handle disappointment?
Photo credits: Markus Spiske and Gabby Orcutt on Unsplash.
Recent Comments