Lessons Untaught

There are some things we forget to teach our children. We teach them manners (maybe some people forget). We teach them to look both ways before crossing the street. We teach them to pick up after themselves (though my house doesn’t always reflect that). Some things we teach by example. Like how to treat others. Or how to spend the day on the couch. This last weekend Isaac brought something to my attention. Something I apparently neglected to teach him. We had four extra kids overnight Saturday, giving their parents a night away. This meant getting four extras (all girls) ready for church. Everything went well. We had an assembly line of doing hair. Everyone was pressed and dress and loading up into 2 vehicles when Isaac’s nose decided to hemorrhage. It was decided that David would clean him up and was just a few minutes late to church. After church I discovered blood. On the living room curtains. Sure enough, Isaac had wiped his nose on the curtains. Then came my teaching moment, one that I assumed was unnecessary. “You can wipe your nose with tissue. You can wipe your nose with toilet paper. In an emergency, you can use your shirt. But never the living room curtains!” I’m a bit worried. What lesson untaught will jump up and bite me in the but next?