Justin

"No, Mommy! No give Cody Maverick to Justin! That not a good plan!"

This is what Moses said when I told Caleb and Joshua that I'd give away "Surf's Up" if they wouldn't stop asking me to watch it all the time. When the boys shirk their responsibilities or otherwise demonstrate that their priorities are not in order, I have found it useful to threaten to give their cherished possessions away to a boy named Justin. "Who is this Justin fellow?" you might ask.

Before Christmas, the boys and I put together a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. As I'm apt to do, I completely forgot about it until the night before it was due to be turned in at MOPS, so I had to stuff it full of little things that I already had in the house--things I'd bought ahead of time and had kept hidden to give the boys for Christmas. The boys were naturally upset that I was giving away Lightning McQueen socks, pens, clothes, and other goodies to some anonymous child on the other side of the world. Observing their lack of enthusiasm, it occurred to me that personalizing this nameless child might help stir up some empathy. So, I told the boys that this box of treats would be for a boy named Justin who is very poor and doesn't have any clothes, toys, Christmas trees, or possibly even any parents. With this in mind, the boys' hearts softened and they agreed to give away the fun little toys and accessories that I'd originally picked out with them in mind. To complete Justin's persona, Joshua wanted to know whether he is white or brown, and I told him I wasn't sure. Joshua said he thought that Justin is brown.

A couple months later, we received a newsletter from the charity that organizes Operation Christmas Child. After perusing all of the pictures in the newsletter, Joe found a photo of a little Haitian child happily clutching a shoebox and told the boys that the child was Justin. Upon closer inspection, I realized that "Justin" was carrying a "girl" shoebox and was probably actually a little girl. Oh well! So, despite having their moments of selfishness, I think the boys are looking forward to filling another box full of treats to send to Justin next Christmas.