Thursday, October 16, 2008

Rant - Disobedience

Okay, I have several rants but I will spare you for now and only rant on what occurred today. I happened to have an appointment to have my second set of "mole" stitches taken out today and while seated in the waiting room with my two children in walks a mother and her teenage son - about 17. Mom does all the work of filling out paperwork and whatever else was required by the receptionist all while the son fiddles with his phone - which I'm sure Mom or some other adult in his life pays for. At some point while we're waiting Mom asks son to sign something and he smarts off with "don't they have all this stuff on the computer?" Mom nicely replies "you have to do this at each new office you go to." He was obviously "put out" about having to use his hands for something other than eating or playing with his phone.

This waiting room was very quiet and it was just us and them. Somehow I guess he read something on the paperwork he didn't like - it came across as if it was the fact that Mom could've done it all without him - and he spouted something off at her and Mom says "what did you say?" He mumbles back and she says "you need to shut your mouth." He then proceeds to tell his mother... I can hardly rethink it without getting boilin' mad... "you need to shut YOUR mouth." AHHHHHH!!!

Now I know I don't have a teenager yet but I remember being one and I didn't dare speak to my parents in that manner unless I wanted to feel their wrath and I can guarantee you it was swift, sure and severe. This Mom just sat there. I was sooooo embarrassed for her. It's kinda hard to spank a 17 year old but I'm sure I would find something to cause him some severe anguish. If we don't have control of our little ones we won't have control over our teenagers. Two things I don't tolerate from my children is disobedience and disrespect and I don't tolerate it from ANY child I am required to deal with and I don't make any bones about letting that child know about it. That boy was long overdue for a swift kick in the behind.

I tell my kids "isn't it nice that all you have to worry about is obeying mommy and daddy? You don't have to worry about anything else right now."

If our children can't learn obedience toward us their parents or any other adult, or the laws of the land then how in the world are they going to learn to obey God?

"The rod and rebuke give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother." Proverbs 29:15 NKJV

5 comments:

R said...

I would have left him at the doctor and told him to find his own ride home. I would proceed to not allow him in my home either unless he apologized to me.

My kid is starting to get mouthy (some intentional and some not) and I am getting so frustrated by this.

NOT ok.

Anonymous said...

AMEN! :o)

Whistle Britches said...

so true.
ah, our 13 year-old.
enough said.

Doozie said...

maybe the mom was plotting her evil revenge when she got out of sight? If I was her, I would have got him out to the mini van and boiled his eyeballs out of his head with my flame thrower. Then I would have used my RPG and sent him into the next county. Then I would go and have a cub burger and fries with special sauce

Fred said...

I see it at school all the time. Many young people have no regard for authority. None.

And, as your post indicates, it all begins at home.