The One Where Joshua Used His Beast Voice...

Joshua used his "Beast Voice" on me this morning.

Eeek!

You have to know that Joshua has a pretty pleasant personality. Most days, he is happy...and on the rare days he's not, we can usually mess with him long enough to have him laughing in minutes.

He is helpful. Out of all the kids, he helps me the most (to his ability). Granted, he's with me more than the others, but he is always looking for ways he can help. He loves to go to the grocery with me. He pushes the buggy, and reminds me of things we need that I have forgotten to put on the "dad-gum list" (as my husband calls it). He helps me unload the groceries at home. He sets the table, and clears it after we eat (sometimes while we are STILL EATING!). He unloads the dishwasher for me every day. He makes his bed, cleans his room, and brings down his dirty clothes and towels...EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

He is complimentary. He tells me he likes whatever I cook, and that I'm pretty. But his compliments aren't reserved only for family. I've been out with him and heard him tell total strangers, "nice shirt," or "nice shoes," or tell the pastor, "pretty good sermon last week." (He also does tell the pastor other things like, "you went too fast for me to keep up," or "I didn't get what you were trying to say." He's honest to a fault!)

And he is very sensitive. He is the first to notice if someone is sad, and he's not shy about giving comfort. He's the first one, when there's a tragic or intense situation, to grab hands and say, "let's pray." Right then and there.

All this to say that I can usually "read" Joshua. I know his personality and can judge his moods. I "get" him. So, I usually have the sweet Joshua.

Not this morning.

Last night, we had a situation with Joshua and his phone. He was using it in a way that we had previously discussed he was NOT to do. This morning, he was supposed to go to his Therapeutic Recreation program. He was looking forward to seeing all of his friends, and going on an outing with them. They were going to see a cool Lego exhibit at the Clinton Library, and eating out for lunch. Fun! He was going to get to see his girlfriend, Jenni. And I was going to get a few rare hours by myself.

Argh.

I just felt like this was a teachable moment. It's really hard, knowing what to do in these situations. I mean, he's 27 years old. He's a man...but he's also a child. I never want to make him feel like a baby, but I still need to make my point...always encouraging those baby steps toward independence. So, I told him we were staying home today. And I told him why. I could see the change in his face when he realized I was serious.

And that's when I heard it: the Beast Voice.

I'm assuming anyone reading this has watched Beauty and the Beast, and would naturally remember when Belle refused to come down for dinner. The Beast is extremely frustrated and yells, "then go ahead and STAAAARRRRVVVVEEE!"

Remember?

That's the voice Joshua used when he looked at me and growled, "I guess you know this will break Jenni's HEARRRRRRT!"

He also told me that staying home today would "tear Jenni's heart into pieces and stomp on it."

Yeah. Well. Sorry. That was not my intention, and we did talk about how our actions (sins) don't always just affect us. Sometimes the consequences of our actions spill over into the lives of others. I hate it...but it's not my problem. I reminded Joshua that when we mess up...and we all do...we have to "man-up" and accept responsibility. He said, "yeah, like in the book of Acts, when Jesus ascended into Heaven. All the disciples were standing there going, 'well, He's gone. Now what?' And then Peter said, 'guys, we have to man-up and go preach the Gospel to the world,' and so they did."

Yeah...there's THAT.

But there's also THIS:

I'm still the boss around here, and it's about time everyone remembered it and started listening to me.

"Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." (Proverbs 22:6)