A Weekly Devotional from the
South Green Street Church of Christ

Feedback | MercEmail Archives | About Us

Just when I thought I'd seen everything, along comes two parents in Deltona, Florida who have gone on "strike" as parents.  They say they're fed up with the behavior and lack of respect their children show them, so until they "shape up" these parents are going to boycott their responsibilities as parents, leave their 17 year-old son and 12 year-old daughter in the house to fend for themselves while they live outside on the front lawn in a tent.

Is this not incredulous?  Even my 12 year-old son, while watching this story on the evening news, had the insight to say, "Who's being punished here?  Why would the mom and dad live in a tent and leave the comfort of the house to the kids?"  -- Good question.

Friends, parenting is not something we can decide to take seriously when our children are in their teens.  That will be too late.  Respect for parental authority, if it is not established in early childhood will be very difficult to establish when a child is in his teens.  Neither is parenting something that we can abdicate and go on "strike" because we've not trained our children to respect our authority. Parenting requires consistent discipline that begins at birth. 

These parents don't need to go on "strike," rather to me it sounds like a "strike" or two should have been applied to their children many years ago.  What do you think?