Me: He does not look to happy. He might have joined the club.
Prodigal: What club?
It finally happened. The Mommy honeymoon was over. And it was so close to Mother’s day. Our son declared us, “The Meanest Parents In The World.”
Yes. We have now joined the ranks of the battle-scared Meanest Parents In The World Club. For short, let’s call it the MPW Club.
With bent eyebrows, folded arms and stomping feet, our five-year-old awarded us this recognition when we wouldn’t allow him to watch a particular cartoon. (I might add, that it is not fit for children, adults, or monkeys to watch.) He also added that other parents let their kids watch it.
I almost swallowed my tongue as I tried to contain my laughter. His normal sparkling eyes only contained sparks of frustration and anger as he asked, “How can you be such mean parents?” Instantaneously, I flashed back to my younger days when I blurted out those same words to my parents. So, of course, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “It runs in the family. When I was a kid, I had the meanest parents in the world, too. But don’t worry, we’ll grow out of it.”
I think my parents were the founding members of the MPW Club.
We weren’t allowed to wear make-up or date until we were sixteen. Our curfew was 9:30 p.m.-until my sister and her boyfriend broke it and then they moved it to 9 p.m. (Why go out if you had to be in before dark?)
They wouldn’t let us watch the popular show “Laugh In” or anything with GoGo Dancing. They were afraid of the negative influence it might have.
If sports or other extra curricular activities conflicted with Youth Group or church, guess which one came first? You guessed it: church.
I just know I was cursed with the meanest parents in the world. Mom and Dad must have renewed and paid their memberships dues every year because they never changed. But thank goodness, I grew out of that mind-set and finally realized the curse was actually a blessing in disguise. I found out for myself that when kids call it mean–God calls it love and protection. When other parents call it overprotection–God commands parents to instruct their children in His ways, not the ways of the world. When teens want to do their own things–the Scripture lays out moral absolutes that parents are instructed to teach.
At the time, I wasn’t real enthused with my parents, but now I thank God I was blessed with the meanest parents in the world. I wear my new title with pride. I promise to pay my dues and renew my membership every year to the Meanest Parents In The World Club.
Join the club. Some day your children will recognize it’s an unexpected blessing.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Georgia Curtis Ling.
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org
