Life lessons are always hard

The past few days have provided some interesting life lessons for our oldest daughter. Lessons about trust, values, faith, and parents. I do not want to go into great detail or give any names to protect the innocent (and the guilty). But I will share the overview.

Friday, I picked Michal Beth up at school and it was obvious before she got into the car she had been crying. Her first words were, "I am never speaking to (friend's name omitted) again, and you can't make me." Well, being the in-touch, loving father I am, I said, "OK, what happened." Again, not sharing the details, I will just say that the person Michal Beth thought was her best friend had done something she should not have done and in the process, Michal Beth was questioned by the school resource officer. Michal had done nothing wrong, but had knowledge the officer needed. Furthermore, Michal's friend had been telling her things for months that were simply not true. Michal Beth felt betrayed, hurt, angry, sad, and many other emotions.

Lynne and I prayed with Michal and told her that she should be praying for her friend, now more than ever. There was a chance she could face criminal charges and/or suspension from school. To abandon her friend in a time of need, is not what Jesus would want her to do. Michal is such a caring compassionate young woman and I am so proud of her. Yesterday, she told me that she was angry at her friend on Friday, but now realizes that she probably needs a friend now more than ever, and that she would help her any way she can. When I picked her from school today, Michal told me her friend came up and gave Michal a hug and said she was sorry. Michal told her that she would be there to talk or help however she could. I couldn't help but think that I have raised a beautiful, caring young woman. Nevertheless, this young woman is also still only a 12 year old child, which leads me to life lesson number 2.

Today, I heard Michal Beth talking about the book they are reading for the book club at school. She said it has the "f" word in it. So I picked up her copy and read a few pages and found the content and language completely in appropriate for a 12 year old girl. Especially a 12 year old girl that we have raised to have Christian values. Thus, her mother and I informed her that she would not be reading that book and I would sending an e-mail to her teacher voicing my concerns. This did not go over well with my daughter. She is a 7th grader and by definition, insecure and overly worried about what other may think. I believe she did not want to be singled out by her parents, thus giving the "cheerleaders" more cause to make fun of her. She also argued that she hears that stuff every day in the halls. But we again talked about values, faith, and that she wouldn't be able to watch a movie with that language, why would we let her read it in a book? Furthermore, she cannot control what anyone else does, but she can control what she puts in her mind. She said she understood and calmed down.

Every night I tell a Bible story with the help of some stuffed animals to my girls. Well, being the opportunistic father I am, tonight I chose to go with "... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8. We then talked about how what you put into your mind will often times come back out of your mind at times you really don't want it too. I know that Michal gets annoyed at me for such lessons, but I will not stop teaching because I do believe in "train up a child in the way [s]he should go."

Life can be hard, and when you are a Jr. Higher, even small things become major dramas. But the truly major dramas... those are the times for a life lesson from dad.

Peace.

Bill