Good Point made here, in one hell of a way.. Remember, I was the mother who blocked The Simpsons, Beavis & Butthead, MTV, even VH1...( I did let her watch CMT and Great American Country sometimes...) Worth reading...for those with small children..or I think so anyway.. Dad's Brownies - author unknown A father of 3 teenage kids had the rule that they could not attend PG-13 or R rated movies. His teens wanted to see a particular movie that was playing at local theaters. It was rated PG-13. They asked friends & some members of their church to find out what was offensive in the movie. They made a list of pros & cons about the movie to use to convince their dad that they should be allowed to see it. The cons were: it contained 3 swear words, the only violence was a building exploding (& you see that on TV all the time), & you actually didn't "see" the couple in the movie having sex, it was just implied sex, off camera. The pros were: it was a popular movie, a blockbuster. Everyone was seeing it. If they saw the movie then they would not feel left out when their friends discussed it. The movie contained a good story & plot. It had some great adventure & suspense in it & some fantastic special effects. The movie's stars were some of the most talented actors in Hollywood. It probably would be nominated for several awards. Many of the members of their church had seen it & said it wasn't "very bad". Therefore, since there were more pros than cons, the teens said they were asking their father to reconsider his position on this 1 movie & let them have permission to go see it. The father looked at the list & thought for a few minutes. He said he could tell his children had spent some time & thought on this request. He asked if he could have a day to think about it before making his decision. The teens were thrilled thinking; "Now we've got him! Our argument is too good! Dad can't turn us down!" So, they happily agreed to let him have a day to think about their request. The next evening the father called in his 3 teenagers, who were smiling smugly, into the living room. There on the coffee table he had a plate of brownies. The teens were puzzled. The father told his children he had thought about their request and had decided that if they would eat a brownie then he would let them go to the movie. Like the movie, the brownies had pros & cons. The pros were that: they were made with good chocolate & yummy walnuts. They were moist & fresh with chocolate frosting. He had made the brownies with an award-winning recipe & by his own loving hands. The brownies only had 1 con: He had added a little bit of dog poop. But he had mixed the dough well; they probably wouldn't be able to taste it & he had baked it at 350 degrees so any bacteria or germs had probably been destroyed. Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies which included just a "little bit of crap" & not be affected by it, then he knew they would also be able to see the movie with "just a little bit of smut" & not be affected. Of course, none of the teens would eat the brownies & the smug smiles were gone. Now when they ask, permission to do something he opposes, he asks, "Would you like me to bake some brownies?"
Bravo!! I'm one of those moms, too, CRC. There are a lot of things that my kids don't "get" to do, watch or listen to that some of their friends are allowed to. What do my kids get to do? Enjoy life as a child. In fact, they can't even use the word "butt" for the beginning of thier lives. House rule. You don't have a butt until you're 10.
