This past week at school I was talking with some students about a problem probably every elementary school principal and teacher deals with every day. What is it you ask?...Cutting in Line.

If I hear a kid say..."he cut me" once I hear it at least 5 times a day. The problem isn't kids cutting in line...the problem is kids are selfish. They want to be first...Me, Me, Me!

I don't think this is just a kid problem, I think it is a society problem. We want to be first..at everything and when we are not first we pout, we cheat, we push, and we shove to be first. Just ask football coaches in the Tulsa area the desire to be first and the best.

What can be done about it? First we need to confront the problem not as a cutting in line problem but we need to focus on the selfishness problem. In schools I think we need to discipline the kids who are cutting in line or who are always doing selfish things, but we also need to role play with those who are constantly having problems with selfishness.

Selfishness in the beginning is not that big of problem, but if it continues it can become a big problem. People both young and old do not like selfish people. Those reading this blog can think of people who are selfish. You can even shout out their names. I bet you don't like to be around these type of people. I know I don't. Selfishness is something that isn't attractive. It is ugly!

So what to do...if your a parent role play with your kids to show them how being selfish effects those around them. Be careful how you do this...don't crush your kids...be gentle.

At school here is something I do when it is time to line up at recess. I blow the whistle and the kids line up...the selfish kids sometimes miss recess and just sit at the front of the line in order to be first...or they drop their ball or rope and make a mad dash to the front of the line in order to be first, causing other kids or adults to pick up the playground equipment.

So the kids are lined up and I go to the back of the line and they become the front of the line. It really ticks off the selfish kids. They get so mad that they are not first.. Kinda fits with something I heard from Church I think:

Matthew 20:16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Role play with your kids today if they have this problem. If they have brothers and sisters I am sure you have dealt with this.