Confession Night at the Ellis home

So tonight we were reading some scriptures the Bishop recommended we read. It was in D&C 59: 2. It talks about how our works will follow us in to the next life basically. So we got in a discussion about "our works" and good choices and bad choices. It was funny because somehow it turned into my kids telling me everything they have ever done wrong in tearful voices... haha!! Jack started telling me that he has been thinking about something he did wrong at school. This sweet boy said he got yelled at by the P.E. teacher and she put his arm down forcefully because he got in her face. Of course I explained that he did NOT need to feel bad about that one- that she should not have been so impatient with him but that next time to give her some space and respect. The confessions kept coming. Taylor explained that she and Mia locked Gwenny out of her room and that she "made a mistake". Then I got called back into Jack's room about him being left out and then back to Taylor about something else she did that was mean. Lydi kind of saw the humor in it with me! For some reason I feel like tonight was a very important night. When Jack told me that and saw that I was trusting of him and in defense of him somewhat he felt more comfortable sharing more stories with me. I was also able to explain to all of them how important it is to talk to me and their dad about everything so we can help them make sense of it. I also explained that sometimes adults make mistakes too. We then talked about the Atonement... I just think- what if I'd have skipped scriptures because I was too tired tonight? Such a random explosion of lessons for my kids to learn through the scriptures and my experiences. I love them so much, I hope they will always feel safe talking to me and Jarom. I hope they can learn all about the Atonement, forgiveness for others and themselves.