brainwashing

So yesterday I was talking to Simon and he asked me "Mom, is Anican Skywalker just bad or good?". I told him that he used to be good but then he turned bad. He then asked "how did he get bad"? I replied that he started making bad choices, you know, hoping for a life lesson, make bad choices you could end up as someone you don't want to be. I guess three years old is a bit young for that leap. His reply? "No, I think he was brainwashed". My immediate thought was, maybe that will work for me when the time to face the judgement bar comes "no, really I didn't make bad choices, I was brainwashed!". Okay, so I didn't really think that but it is sobering to think that there really are people out there who do. They think that they can do whatever they want and then blame circumstances or other people, or anyone else but themselves. In a blessing one time I was told that teaching my children about consequences is one of the most important things I need to do. I think it is true, because once we take responsibility for our actions, we start making better choices. A little bit ago Scotty was complaining about his "bad luck" when really, he had been making bad choices. We explained that luck is not influenced by actions and really the reason he was spending time in his room was because he made a bad choice. He still isn't making perfect choices.. no big surprise, but i haven't heard anything about his "bad-luck" lately :) Maybe we're on the way! One down, four more to go!