Mom learns her own lesson

This is one of the many stories I have recorded for future reference. I'm convinced that someday my little guy is going to grow up to be something special:'D Aren't all moms supposed to think that? Someday, someone (even if it's just his wife, kids or grandkids) is going to ask..."What was Clayton like as a child?" This is just one more bit of evidence to answer that question.
Saturday was Valentine's Day and we mostly spent the day hanging out at home. These days are rare for us but we always enjoy them when they come along. What I enjoy most is that Courtney and Clayton love to play together. They combine their creative imaginations and will spend hours on a project. Sure, they get in an occasional squabble but for the most part they work together well and have a good time. This time they decided to build a huge fort in the living room using every blanket and chair they could find. The fort went up quickly but that wasn't the end of the fun. They brought in games, snacks, and even rigged up a doorbell. Amazingly, they convinced me to let them eat lunch in there. Later in the afternoon they decided to fulfill their promise to me to take down the fort when they were done playing. Courtney then thought it would be cool to set up her own fort in her room. Clayton went in to "help" and that's when I heard, "CLAYTON!!!! You're wrecking everything!" I called for Clayton and jokingly echoed his sister's remark. "CLAYTON! You're wrecking everything!" That did it! His feelings were officially hurt and he broke down in tears. I apologized profusely saying I was only kidding with him and that Courtney was over reacting and he just needed to give her some space. After snuggling with him on the couch he finally calmed down and went off to his room. About 10 minutes later he came back to me with a gift obviously wrapped by him. I was quite surprised by it and curious about what could be inside. I quickly unwrapped it to discover a half used tube of toothpaste. I gave him a puzzled look and asked if he was trying to tell me something(thinking I might have bad breathe). He said, "Yes, you need to learn your own lesson." Huh????? He reminded me of the object lesson I had shared in a morning devotional with both kids while we were homeschooling in Taiwan...3 years ago! He was only 4 at the time.
It's a familiar lesson to most...once the words come out of your mouth it's impossible to put them back in without leaving a mess...like trying to put toothpaste back in the tube after squeezing it out. I thanked him for the gift...a reminder of my own lesson... and he happily went on about his playing. This incident also reminded of some special character traits of my sweet 7 year old. He's quite sensitive, witty and has an extraordinary memory!