Dear Boys,

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What a gift each one of you are to me!  You delight my heart.  You make me seriously proud.  You challenge me to my very core.  Indeed you challenge me, but with respect, and I am willing to dual with that.

Movies.  PG-13. R. “All my friends are watching them.”  “With their parents”. “Can we?”

“No.”  “Exception:  if the message, outweighs the junk.”  We set the SAME standard for ourselves (your parents) as we do for you.

I’m sorry that this rule has separated you from favorite hang out times with friends.  Has set you apart, again.  Has frustrated you to the point of cutting strings off my apron (that is healthy, by the way, as long as you don’t whack off all the strings at one time).

What is the underlying principal that motivates us to tow this heavy boundary?  It is the text, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.”  Psalm 101:3.  It is the scriptures that talks about by “beholding you will become changed”.  Also the concept of what is put into the heart, is what will flow out of your heart.

I suspect that you will wander from this boundary as time and distance permits.  Most of us have.  My prayer is that as you watch, and your mind and heart are left with unclean images, that you will choose to realize that IT IS NOT WORTH IT.  Warning my dear boys: if you continue to watch movies and TV shows that are distasteful, IN TIME YOUR SENSES WILL BECOME DULLED and your conscience will no longer be bothered.  You will justify the action.  You will scoff at your childhood rearing.

So up until this point, I or your Dad have been the ones to do the Plugged In review.  To decided, does the message outweigh the junk?  However, we are going to try an experiment.  If from this point forward you would like to watch a movie with your friends that is rated beyond PG (and you are 16 or greater), than I want you to read the review and you justify to us why you think you can watch it.  A written persuasian will be more powerful, than a verbal one.  Also if you take the time to do this, it does not guarantee that we will grant you permission.  As you are writing and trying to justify if the message outweighs the junk and you know that it really can’t be argued well, please don’t even waste your time or mine.

I have pondered a recent challenge from one of you.  It went something like this……”You are a crazy parent.  I don’t understand you. You are awesome and yet confusing.  I mean most parents will sit in the same living room with their kids and watch movies with them, that you won’t let us watch. Yet you will let us go camping overnight on a beach alone and surf.  Those parents wouldn’t dream of letting their kids do that.  Don’t you know there are crocodiles out there?  And crazy adventure?!”   To which my heart responds: “Yes, I am crazy.  And yes, when I give you freedom to go surf on waves that could pound you to pieces, in an ocean full of things that could harm what I love the most.  Yes, I am insane….I think, to allow MY BOYS, to go off on wild boy adventures in a land that is wilder and more unpredictable than any boy moment I have ever encountered.  Yet, I would rather loose you to good clean boyhood adventure, that is building in you character and independence and memories.  Yes, I would rather loose you to that…..than to loose you to a dulled conscience.”

Forgive me boys, I know that I have made many mistakes in raising you.  Please know that my love for you is immense.  I am soul tied to each of you.

Mom

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