Picture this: It’s Sunday morning. There I am, sitting in the back row of the church sanctuary, nursing my youngest and sipping an iced French vanilla latte. My cell phone vibrates and I pick it up to see who it might be. (I know, I know…I shouldn’t be looking at my phone in church. Sorry, Pastor Rodney!) Of all things, it’s a text from my daughter’s Sunday school teacher asking me if it’s ok if she can give my daughter a package of Smarties. And I can’t help but smile and beam with pride that, even when I wasn’t looking, my five-year-old still knew to ask my permission before accepting candy from someone, even if it was her trusted Sunday School teacher.
We live in a small town and pretty much every place we go there is the inevitable bowl of dum-dum pops or other such tasty treats. While it’s very sweet that the bank teller and the grocery bagger and the librarian all want to make friends with my oldest child, one thing that bothers me is that rarely does anyone ever ask my permission before handing her a piece of candy. I found out quickly that it would be up to her to ask my permission before accepting a treat from someone. Now she does this without fail, no matter who offers it and no matter where we are.
My sweet kindergartener knew that telling her Sunday school teacher, “I have to ask my Mommie first” might have meant no treat for her. She didn’t know the teacher would text me. All she knew was that I told her to always ask permission before accepting candy and she obeyed me, even when I wasn’t there.
Doing the right thing, even when no one is around, can be a challenge. In a new DVD from Tommy Nelson, the On the Farm friends show us the importance of helping others, being honest, and that we’re no better than anyone else. Cocka Doodle Doo the Right Thing features Hercules the Rooster who thinks he’s too good to help his friends clean up the farm. A special guest is coming for dinner and everybody but Hercules is pitching in. Jenny the dog encourages her rooster friend to help out, but not only does Hercules refuse, he even goes so far as to be rude to Farmer Bob’s friend Ed, just because he wears grubby overalls and old boots. Farmer Bob is gone for the day and Hercules sees that as a free pass to do as he pleases. Little does he know that Ed is really the special dinner guest!
Kids will love the quirky characters, fun songs, and special bonus features on this DVD. There was even a bit of humor for me (like when Brandon the cow tells Hercules that he’s “lactose intolerant”). I thought the message was clear and the characters memorable. Even Sam the sheep learns a little something about doing what is right after he finds an abandoned $20 bill. The story is based on the Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18. This video explains the meaning of the parable in a way kids can understand.
Other great features on this DVD are the literacy tools in the Bonus Features section. “C” is the letter of the day. Younger ones will learn letter blends and sounds through the extra songs and cartoons. There’s even a digital storybook included on the DVD.
How about you? When was a time one of your kids did the right thing, even when you weren’t looking?
Tell me in the comments section below and you will be entered to win a copy of Cocka Doodle Doo the Right Thing, courtesy of Tommy Nelson.
Enter via the Rafflecopter below now through Monday, April 22nd. You can earn extra entries by connecting with me and Tommy Nelson on social media. I will pick and email a winner by Tuesday, April 23rd.
Also, congratulations to Bethany B., winner of last week’s Hermie and Friends giveaway.
Until next time, Happy Reading!
Yours in Christ,
S
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Disclosure:
I received a copy of this DVD through the Tommy Nelson Mommy program. I was not asked to write a positive review. All views and opinions expressed are solely and completely my own. I received no compensation other than a copy of Cocka Doodle Doo the Right Thing, which is mine to keep. This post also contains affiliate links. To learn more, please see my full policy.
I have seen my kids do the right thing in so many situations! They have made me so proud and now I am seeing my granddaughter do the right thing even when it is the hard thing!
That’s great, Melani! It is always heart warming when our kids act on the good things they have been taught.
My daughter saw another child being picked on and went to her rescue 🙂
Hi, Reagan! Thanks for stopping by:) Sounds like your little one is a hero. We all need to know our kids will stick up for others when the time comes.
My daughter likes to “police” the kids and always goes to the rescue when someone is being picked on. I’m not sure if this is partly because she was picked on in Kindergarten (we’ve homeschooled her ever since.) She has a very keen sense of justice, and she loves to read everything and anything that she can get her hands on. We joke that she’d make a great lawyer some day. 🙂
Sounds like your daughter and mine are two peas in the same pod, Jessica:)
My son shared his favorite Oreo cookies with the kids at VBS last year! It was so sweet that he was being so thoughtful, the humorous part was one of the girls he gave a cookie to isn’t really “allowed” to have a lot of sweets, she was in total heaven!
That’s so sweet, Bethany:) I can just see their Oreo crumb filled smiles now!
What a great review! I’m putting mine up today, too!
–Gena
Thanks, Gena! It’s a good one:)
My son got a decent amount of money for his birthday and decided, on his own, to buy his little sisters something instead of himself. =)
Wow, Traci! That is so kind of him:) That would be hard to do.
I love seeing my little girl “do the right thing”, even when it seems like nothing to her.
me too:)
It’s hard to know about the little things, because they have kept them secret! But you can tell that kids have stored these things up in their hearts by their actions as young adults.
One of the things that made me proudest as a mother was a time that my eldest son, then 20, was on his way to work early one fall morning, when he saw smoke on the horizon. As he rounded the corner, he saw a house’s roof on fire — their chimney had caught on fire as they slept. He banged on their door to wake them, called the fire dept, then went on to work.
He told me about it at the end of the day. I think that’s when I knew I had done ok as a mom.
Thanks for sharing that story about your son. I don’t have any grown children yet, but if my kids turn out anything like your son, I’ll know I’ve done well:)
I often find my son doing the right thing when it comes to his sisters. He will let them have a toy, or try to diffuse an argument 🙂 He’s also always looking out for others and trying to do something nice for someone else! Love him 🙂
My 3yo loves to share. When we have lunch with my MIL, I oftentimes hear her telling my MIL that she can have a bite of her sandwich or give her a piece of her treat.
That’s so sweet, Joyce. My daughter does similar things with me:)
Too many to list.
When my eldest was 12 she was having a slumber party. She invited a very large,older looking girl the kids mocked as “fat candy’. She was told by a couple of her friends. If you invite her then I am not coming.” She told them “That’s fine, then don’t come.” A couple didn’t but enough others came including Candy – a very grateful girl.
Hi Lu! It sounds like your daughter is living out the phrase “What Would Jesus Do”.