See this girl?
She is 16 years old.
She drives a Nissan Sentra.
She gets good grades.
She is known as a 'good girl.'
She thinks she knows what is good for her.
but she is wrong.
Several times in her teenage life,
She put herself in compromising situations.
Only by the grace of God
is she alive today (22 years later)
to tell those stories,
to see how unwise she was...
and to write this post.
Yesterday,
I talked to another mother
Mom-to-mom
About her teenage daughter
Who is a lot like that girl in the photo.
I told her what I had seen.
I offered to butt out if it's not my business.
And in return,
The girl (who is a good girl)
Hit 'unfriend' on Facebook
I'm sure she's mad.
(The girl above would have been FURIOUS)
But I'm not sorry.
As parents, we need to realize
Our children live in a world we didn't know existed.
They don't have to climb out their windows to 'sneak out'
Their friends are not limited to the people we see
They live in two worlds- real and 'virtual.'
And to keep them safe
We have to work as a team.
It's not about 'your kid' or 'my kid'
It's about very real dangers.
It's not about being 'cool' or 'hip'
(kids don't even use those words anymore)
It's not about not "tattling"
It's about these teens.
Who, despite how grown up they look,
are kids.
They are kids that God loves.
And they are kids
For whom God has great plans.
And because of that-
We owe it to them to tell when we see them in danger.
And we owe it to each other to sound the bell
When we see the wolves circling our children.
even if it means being 'unfriended'
You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
Hebrews 3:13
13 comments:
I had to tattle on a kid yesterday to the adults at my school because the vile, obscene, horrifically vulgar and reprehensible things that he was saying within earshot of 11 year old kids went beyond the pale of decency.
I don't care if he hates the sight of me.
I don't care if his parents call me and chew me out for tattling.
Someone's got to call a spade a spade, sister.
Hooray for you! I'm sure it was difficult to tell the mom, and even for her to hear it...but you're so right, we have to be vigilant and protect our children. My 16-year old self would have been very much like you, and the girl you're trying to protect. I wish someone had talked to me then...but I would've been too stupid to listen.
Good for you sista, and CPQ also. You both are awesome examples.
Blessings to you! It's so good to see parents who will still do the right thing.
I sincerely hope that the mother was more open to the news than the teenager was... You did the right thing. I hope that there are eyes and ears on my children when I cannot see or hear them myself. It still takes a village to raise a child, but we have gotten to the point where the village is to blame. We "kill" the messenger and forget the message...
Your friend,
Mysti
you are SO right. love you for it. well love you anyway!!
This is just up my alley right now, if you know what I mean! Thanks for posting - the teen years have been a wild rollercoaster after quiet childhood years.
last week our group held a similar discussion on this topic and you show something we haven't covered yet, thanks.
- Kris
Amen!
So true. All of it. We parents need all the help we can get...and other parents having eyes and ears in places we might not even know about, all the better!
Way to go! When my son was 16 a friend told me something she had seen that she knew was "forbidden" (driving his dad's company car when we weren't home). There were other times when my friends would "tell on him". The interesting thing was that he never asked how I knew these things... But I was thankful for honest friends who were my eyes & ears when I wasn't there.
The world is so different now (he is 33), & parents need all the help they can get. The sad thing is that recently I heard the filthy, foul, obscene, vulgar stuff come out of the mouth of a mom... while her 4 year old was sitting beside her (outside a restaurant). So not only do parents have all the stuff on TV, Youtube, etc. to deal with, but also children who are growing up in situations far different than what we would expect from "normal" families.
Glad you (& CPQ) had the courage to speak up!
Excellent post my friend.
Hi Amber!! I FINALLY got to sit down at the computer and read this morning. (Even though one of the teeneagers in the house believes I should be setting up something for her new IPOD, a new account or something, instead. I told her the world could begin revolving around her again in about an hour or two, while I catch up on FB and your blogs) ANYWAY, I love this BLOG!! I think we actually spoke about this, didn't we? I am a firm believer in friends telling me about my 5 daughters and their behavior. At times it may be embarrassing to know someone saw your child being less than moral but, I would rather face THAT embarrassment over the embarrassment that comes with a teenage pregnancy, juvenile hall sentence or rehab. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE people, if you see my daughters heading down the wrong path, INTERCEPT THEM! Bring them home to me ! Give them a good old fashioned "talking to" on the way! Let them know their parents may not be able to see everything they are doing but, that there are eyes EVERYWHERE! I will thank you and, if FB had an AMAZING FRIEND button option, I would press it for you!!
Hi Amber!! I FINALLY got to sit down at the computer and read this morning. (Even though one of the teeneagers in the house believes I should be setting up something for her new IPOD, a new account or something, instead. I told her the world could begin revolving around her again in about an hour or two, while I catch up on FB and your blogs) ANYWAY, I love this BLOG!! I think we actually spoke about this, didn't we? I am a firm believer in friends telling me about my 5 daughters and their behavior. At times it may be embarrassing to know someone saw your child being less than moral but, I would rather face THAT embarrassment over the embarrassment that comes with a teenage pregnancy, juvenile hall sentence or rehab. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE people, if you see my daughters heading down the wrong path, INTERCEPT THEM! Bring them home to me ! Give them a good old fashioned "talking to" on the way! Let them know their parents may not be able to see everything they are doing but, that there are eyes EVERYWHERE! I will thank you and, if FB had an AMAZING FRIEND button option, I would press it for you!!
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