Snippet of motherhood: do the right thing

Today my 6yo asked to speak with me in private. He was very serious.
With tears in his eyes, he started to talk.

Apparently a little toy animal from a vacation bible school (he attended a few days this summer) "fell into his pocket"and he's been sweating it ever since...he was afraid he would be in trouble for this "accident" and is sure that the teacher has probably thought of nothing else since. He wanted me to return the toy but didn't want to go himself.

I told him that he was doing the right thing talking to me & should have done so sooner (he admitted he felt better) but that he wouldn't have such a bad feeling if it was truly an accident and that to really do the right thing & feel even better, he needed to tell me how the toy got into his pocket. He clung to his story for a bit but then he confessed. And I told him that likely that teacher would not even be there when we go, but nevertheless, he needs to be the one to say what happened and that he will certainly be in the right place for people appreciating someone being moved to do what is right, even if they did something wrong to begin with. So now I have to figure out when the church is open so we can make amends.

Good times.