Solomon Was Right

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
...a time to be silent...

Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b

Josh and Matthew were messing around in Matthew's room and somewhere in the scuffle, Matthew's glasses got knocked to the floor. When I walked past his room, the boys were sitting on Matthew's bed just talking and everything seemed fine. I didn't see the glasses on the floor, and Matthew didn't seem to be concerned about them, either.
However, things were about to change.
They were "at it" again and I walked in to referee just as Matthew was falling to the floor. Right on top of his glasses. I'm pretty sure Matthew saw his glasses before he landed on them. The shriek he let out mid-fall told me so. And the groan-scream which followed as he gingerly picked up the glasses let me know they didn't fare well in the collision.
Matthew was quick to yell at Josh, and blame him for the broken glasses. He was soooooo angry and upset. And he was sure Josh was soooooo at fault.
While I could empathize with Matthew's frustration at the broken glasses, and I understood why he blamed his older brother (Josh was being the instigator, after all.) I couldn't find myself agreeing with him. I was thinking Matthew could assume some of the responsibility.
Because....it seemed to me Matthew would have been wise to pick up his glasses as soon as they fell on the floor and put them somewhere safe. That way, they wouldn't have been there when he fell.
I know. I know. He didn't know he was going to fall on them.
Even so, I thought the wise thing to do would have been to pick them up immediately. You know, to keep them safe just.in.case. And as I listened to my son scream, and watched him cry over broken glasses - everything in me wanted to share my bit of wisdom with him.

For next time, of course.

Fortunately for both Matthew and me, Solomon's words of wisdom ran through my head before my words of wisdom had a chance to escape from my mouth.
I realized I was existing in that time to be silent. No matter how profoundly wise my words were to me, God allowed me to understand that now was not the time to speak them. My Matthew was waaaaaaay too upset to listen to reason.
So I stayed silent. (A major feat for this girl! *wink*)

The next day - after we visited the vision store and got the glasses fixed - I took advantage of the time to speak. Matthew was in a much better frame of mind, and I suggested that the next time his glasses fall to the floor he should pick them up right away. And he agreed.
Because my words were so wise? I'd like to think so.
But I think the most reasonable conclusion I can draw is that Solomon was right. My boy wouldn't have heard me if I'd spoken when it was time to be silent.

When have you experienced a time to be silent?