February 13th, 2012

...now browsing by day

 

Parenting

Monday, February 13th, 2012

I PROMISE:

I will not give out advice for parenting teenagers.

I will not tell you how to raise your teenager or soon-to-be teen.

I will not tell you how sorry I am that you have a teen in your house at this moment (although I could).  🙂

I will not whisper a sigh of relief or grunt a huge belly laugh that I am past that stage.

However, I will ask you to watch this video that has sort of gone viral the past week or so.  You have got to watch it to the end.   I have linked to the site I did because he bleeped out the curse words.   Phil also did a pretty good job of expressing his thoughts on it.  While I agree with what he said, I also have this sneaking suspicion the father did what he did because she was so public in her disrespect.  Does that make it right?  No.  Phil was correct in that it would have been better to have taken care of this privately.  Cheek for cheek is not the way Jesus would have done it.

But, at the same time, I can understand this father’s response.  As he stated, this teenager violated her father and step mother; her mother; and the “cleaning lady.”  (Hey, I bet Jo wouldn’t mind having someone clean our house, but I guarantee I wouldn’t call her “the cleaning lady.”  The one I have in mind just might slug me.  She’s also a sister in Christ and a member of the church)  😉  In my mind, she forfeited her “right” to own and use a computer, etc.  For crying out loud, the girl is only 15!  To borrow her (edited) words, who in the blankety- blank-blank does she think she is?   I applaud the father for putting his foot down and being a father, not her friend.  There is too much of that going around anyway.

Well, I have said enough since the video is a long one.  Just remind me, though, not to get on the wrong side of that man.  🙂  Any thoughts you care to share?  Were you offended by it?  Do you agree with the father’s approach (with or without the gun)?

P.S.  After reading some of the comments I feel I may have to clarify my thoughts.  I DO NOT condone what the father did.   Please note the dark line in my post.   He did miss a tremendous opportunity to teach his daughter right and wrong in a correct manner.  His use of a gun was for dramatic purposes (least I hope), and hopefully not his normal way of dealing with things.  I don’t even own a gun, so for me to condone that is a stretch (that is not an anti-gun statement either).   I am getting you to think though, and that is good.