Be a Youth Champion!

It started out as a “bad mom” sharing on Facebook but, since I’m not a mom, my bad-dad-day confession currently leads the now-expanded worst-example-of-parenting  contest for which a prize has not yet been determined. 

Perhaps readers will suggest a suitable recognition to be awarded on Mother’s Day (May 13^th this year) if not their own ‘how-did-our-children-ever-survive’ submissions (and admissions).

I was home, studying, putting the finishing touches on my sermon for the next morning at Whidbey Evangelical Free Church where I was the pastor, meanwhile keeping an eye out the upstairs window where, from the dining room table, I could quickly glance up from my books and survey the front yard and street below.  The children were playing in the fenced backyard while mom was shopping.

That’s how I was able to notice the police car pull into the driveway.  Sitting in the front seat eating a cookie the nice policeman had given her was our little daughter Elizabeth.  At about the same time my wife pulled into the driveway.

As I hurried out the front door and down the steps, I thought to myself, ‘This is not going to be good.’

It wasn’t.

My wife wanted an explanation.  Elizabeth looked at me, burst into tears, and reached out – for her mom.  The nice policeman asked for my I.D.   

Turning to my wife, the officer recounted how HER little girl had been found laying in the middle of the road, right on the double yellow no-passing stripe (I know, this is terrible).  Evidently she was tired having walked SO FAR (was this going to be in the report?  It was only a half-mile) and so she had lain down for a nap.  Fearing the worst, a lady, looking out HER window, saw the poor child and called the police. 

“Is this your home?  Do you live here?” 

House-by-house the officer and my wife’s daughter drove slowly along.  Two, maybe three cookies later, I forget now, the exchange of information in our driveway occurred.

Hopefully there are readers out there that will fess up to their own foibles of having been less than admirable in this most important role we have as examples to follow – or not – as I really, really don’t want to win this unofficial contest of abominable parenting. 

Maybe the good news is that having been-there-done-that I at least have some experience in what not to do and so becoming a mentor as I just signed up for should be of some value. 

And as Communities In Schools just this morning celebrated another year with their annual breakfast, perhaps you can be a champion to youth as well.  You can contact Leah Livingston at leah.cisl@gmail.com .

Just don’t tell her I sent you.