How do you feel when your child blames an imaginary friend for a mishap or seeks to deflect accountability in any way? I want to lose it when my six-year-old daughter Lexi says, ‘But, momma, I didn’t do it, the cup ran into me and knocked itself over!” Ahhh!!!! I hate excuses, and I just wish she would own up to it and admit that she accidentally knocked over the cup…and then get to work cleaning it up. Is that too much to ask for?

Well, I ate humble pie this past weekend when I invoked the Grumpy Old Troll on more than one occasion to justify my bad attitude towards my husband and daughter. I would give the “mean” look or respond a little too curtly over minor annoyances. The first day, I attributed it to lack of sleep. But then I got a good night’s sleep and still unleashed diva-like behavior the following day so I had to come up with another explanation. For a span of five minutes, I was able to convince Lexi that I had an evil twin sister who lived in another world but could enter ours through the closet. That didn’t work when she remembered that I had ripped that off from C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

So I had not other choice but to blame my behavior on the Grumpy Old Troll who lives inside me and rears its ugly head whenever it wants to just to mess with me. Yeah…that didn’t work with Lexi either. She kept telling me that I was too pretty to be a troll, which only made me feel worse for acting so crabby.

After two exhausting days of making excuses, I finally just broke down and confessed to my family that I was struggling with some decisions I needed to make, which was taxing my brain, but that there was no justification for my unkindness towards them. My daughter squeezed my neck, told me she forgave me and said she loved me no matter what.

The next time she gives me attitude and tries to blame it on our dog Freckles, I’m going to let her. I owe her one…or twelve. And then I’m going to hug her and tell her I forgive her and love her no matter what.

Thank you, Lexi, for showing me grace when I didn’t deserve it. I pray I do the same for others.

Do you have a Grumpy Old Troll lurking in your house???