I received a very disturbing phone call tonight about a couple of gym kids that have been with us since childhood. These kids have for the lack of a better term "royally screwed up" and were caught. Disappointing, yes. The thing is it could be anyone of our teens, let's face it they make some really bad choices sometimes. These choices are going to come at a price. Innocence lost, a job lost, and reputations tarnished. As a parent of four teens the moment is not lost on me that this can happen to the best of kids, the best of families. What separates the families that deal with these "moments in time" as "great families" will be the way they handle the consequences. The ones that hold their children accountable and allow natural consequences to occur are my hero. Not too much is more difficult than watching an almost adult momentarily self destruct and then stepping back and resisting the urge to rescue, downplay, and cover for the action.
Allow the fallout.
I have no doubt I will face this moment in some way, shape, or form (although I will pray for something minor). When I do, I can only hope I will make the right choice to allow my child to utterly fail, if only for a short time. Because those are the lessons we remember the most.
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