8 Jun, 2011
Crazy Parents!
Bus Waving Dad
Most teens will swear they have been cursed with the most hideously embarrassing parents in the entire universe. While some may be right, their horror stories would likely pale in comparison to the mortification to which one dad subjected his 16-year-old son, not once, but every day of a 180-day Utah school year.
Meet Dale Price, a father of three from American Fork, a city located about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City. Last fall, on the first day of Price's son Rain's sophomore school year, Price and his wife, Rochelle, thought it would be fun to embarrass their son by waving to him as he boarded the bus.
"Later I overheard him talking to her, [saying,] 'Mom, don't let Dad go out there again.' What a challenge." Price told Utah Valley's newspaper, the Daily Herald.
For the next 179 school days, Price waved goodbye to his son. But not only did he wave goodbye, he kicked it up a level by wearing a different costume each morning.
It can be embarrassing when your parents wave you off to school, but when you are a 15-year-old teenager and your dad insists on dressing in a different comical outfit everyday, you have to feel for Rain Price. "Sometimes the driver says 'enjoy the show,'" Rain added. "We all laugh. Everybody else on the bus learned to like it a lot sooner than I did.
Both parents say they are happy their son has a sense of humor and that they gave him something to look back on and laugh about later in life. (weirdstories.aol.com)
Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him
Deuteronomy 5:16
Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
What does today's story & God's Story Scripture teach us about honoring our parents?
Ever get embarrassed by one of your parents? It is probably something we have all experienced. We hate the idea of people judging us by something our parents do. Likewise parents don’t usually like to be embarrassed by their children. I am sure every family has had an argument that started with someone embarrassing the other.
I love the story of this Dad. As crazy as he was, I think he wanted to teach his son two lessons. First, there are far worse things in life than being a little embarrassed and second, I think he wanted his son to know that he loved him enough to stand out their every morning. While his son’s first response was embarrassment, after awhile, the bus waving and the costumes become something fun that everyone enjoyed seeing every morning. It started their day off on a fun note.
I think there were probably even some students on that bus that thought, “I wish my Dad cared enough to put the time into dressing up and saying goodbye to me every morning.” Maybe you even thought that as you read the story.
See the other side of the perspective is all about love. This Dad loves his kids. So much that he was willing to put time into making a memory and making them laugh every day.
Honor your Father and Mother is a direct commandment to us from God. Its pretty important to him and it should be to us if we want to follow him. It means even on the days they embarrass you, or punish you, or don’t give you everything you ask for; God still calls you to honor them. And when we do he promises to look after us.
How can you connect today's story & God's Story Scripture to your story?
Having trouble honoring your parents? Maybe a change in perspective would help. Instead of being embarrassed by them, maybe you need to realize that what they do is out of love for you.
Perhaps you aren’t feeling very respected by them. Ever think that maybe they would show you respect if you should them respect first?
Loving your parents isn’t easy, but it’s a key part of following Jesus.
Stop reading right now and ask God to help you honor and love your parents better.
Are there “extra parents” in your life? For example, a step-mom or step-dad, a guardian or foster parent? Think about how well you are doing at honoring them. Do you need to ask God to help you?
Father’s Day is coming up on June 19. Start considering now how you can best honor your Dad or the “Dad-like-people” in your life.
How can you connect today's story, God's Story Scripture, and your story to your friends?
Tell some of your friend’s about the Dad in today’s story. Ask them how they would react if their Dad ever did anything like that.
Talk about your own parents and what you love about them and the part about them that is hard. Tell them how you are trusting God to help you.
Learning about your friend’s family will help you understand their story better. It may also give you opportunities to not only talk about your family but also tell them about your Heavenly Father.
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