Engage brain before opening mouth.

Ever have days you just can't seem to keep your foot out of your mouth?  It seems like I've been doing it so much I'm developing a very bad habit.

It started last week when I blogged about my son and grandson.  They weren't too happy with me. Then in chapel on Tuesday morning, the trivial pursuit the principal often uses to begin the day included a question about a politician with whom I vehemently disagree and said so in front of the boys.  I nicknamed him a "traitor." It fits but it was the wrong way to answer in front of impressionable boys.  I truly want them to learn to vote prayerfully and logically rather than emotionally and loyally.  My answer was emotional and I was wrong.

I apologized to the principal and was willing to ask the boys' forgiveness.  However, he and I agreed that such a move might stir the pot, so to speak.  He felt like it passed over them and none have asked me about it.  I can only hope they forgot about it.  If any had asked me about my comment, I would have apologized to that one and told them why I was wrong.

One of the biggest complaints about our schools and colleges is that students are being brain-washed instead of being taught.  My comment was along those lines.  I've asked the Lord to forgive me and I know He has, but I also pray the boys weren't affected by it.  I so appreciated my college education from Moody bible Institute.  We were taught to think for ourselves.  Disagreeing with the professor, on one occasion brought a comment of "This is excellent!"  None of this dropping our grades or embarrassing us in front of the class.  We were encouraged to disagree, but we had to be ready to defend our position.  We learned to think for ourselves.  That's an education.

My next blunder came about yesterday.  We have a boy who will graduate in just 5 weeks.  I may be giving him more credit than he deserves and again, my actions may have been inappropriate.  He's brilliant, (a 29 on his ACT and now getting scholarship offers from all over the country) but he has issues, the biggest of which is immaturity.  His senior presentation is about "hacking"  and he only wants to warn the audience about the dangers.  He said he doesn't want the boys to fall asleep, so I suggested some graphics that are funny that will keep them interested.  I forgot how easily he is distracted.  When he saw the graphics I pulled off my program and took them to church for him to look at, the pastor told him not to take them to the youth building and I realized I'd messed up again.

Now, I need to emphasize to him the difference between being witty and being silly is that witty will make people pay attention to his subject and being silly will only make people pay attention to him-and probably laugh at him, not with him.  Not good for a boy who is about to enter college very shortly.

I want to teach our boys the same way I was taught-to think for themselves.  Lately I haven't been doing too good.  It's time to open mouth and remove foot!