Son, Let’s Not Swear In Church

This story is going to be one of those ones where I wish I would’ve had a video camera rolling on my life so you could hear it first hand.

Sunday, we’re sitting at church listening to the pastor preach. At one part, Pastor Denny was discussing if we do or say things we wouldn’t have 5, 10, 15 yrs ago. Do we swear when we didn’t before. Do we go to a movie that early on in our faith we never would’ve dreamed of going to. You get the idea.

Now, let me preface what my Doodle said and how I responded by giving you a very recent backstory.

I won Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief from Two of a Kind, Working On A Full House. She has awesome giveaways. I wasn’t sure if it was a movie I wanted my boys to see, but I figured we’d give it a chance.

I’m still on the fence (mythical creatures and all), but after what occurred at church on Sunday, we’ll be skipping over a certain spot.

It’s clear that my boys listen to the message, even when doing their own papers during the service.

Doodle came over to me after Pastor Denny mentioned how we might have changed in our lives over the last number of years. He sat on one side of me and whispers to me, “Mom, I can’t stop thinking of that song, Highway to…”

I nsert me slapping my hand over his mouth faster than you can say, “Hell”. It really was more of a cupping over his mouth as there was no slap. For a moment that seemed to last a lifetime I sat there with my hand over his mouth wondering if anyone heard his lyrics.

Then I tried to not laugh. Meanwhile, my little Doodle, who has an amazingly sensitive spirit, was on the verge of tears. For him, the thought of doing something to make the Lord upset just breaks his heart. He knows swearing isn’t ok and that God frowns on it. He’s just been this way since he was…little-r.

The moment I saw his eyes well up with tears I asked the Lord to give me a song that I could put in his mind. To be honest, I can’t even remember the song I gave him. I leaned over and whispered, “Why don’t you start singing this song in your head…” I quietly sang it to him while we were holding hands.

I gave him the chorus to the song and then kept time with my fingers on his hand. I could feel his little fingers doing the same on my hand.

It’s so clear to me what sticks with our kids and how we have to protect what ends up in their brains. I felt so terrible that he had that song in his head. I mean, hell, the word itself isn’t a bad word. I mean, it’s a bad place, but it’s a “place” if you use it correctly and I’ve told the boys that. He just knew that the song wasn’t a good one for him to be listening to. LOL Poor boy.

From now on, the rule will be that they will bypass this song in the movie! Man, being a parent isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination!