seventy times seven and expectations

I was at a family gathering this weekend and noticed a couple of parents being frustrated with normal childhood behavior and threatened "you know what" which I took to be spanking. I noticed that one parent expected the 2 yo boy to behave more "grown up" than he was and getting pretty frustrated when he acted like a baby. And I thought, wow, he is just a baby, why would you expect more? Maybe because he's a boy and is supposed to be "tougher" or more probably because they have a 9 mo and their plates are full.

Anway, all this thought about expectations made me think of the following:

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

If we applied this to our children, then we would take on each parenting challenge knowing that it will take almost 500 times for our kids to learn each lesson and maybe we could respond in grace as many times.

[LadybugSam]

I never thought of it like that, thanks!

[zak]

cool!

[CelticJourney]

Yes and no. If they are doing things that little children do, developmentally appropriate, then it's not sin and doesn't require forgiveness. I do think far too many people see grace and forgiveness as something for 'big people only' and not something you give children.

I see what you mean, that we need to determine what needs to be "forgiven" and what is just "kids play" when it comes to dc actions. good observations and thanks for the forgivness reminder sometimes it's easy to forget.