In my last parenting blog I wrote about a potential near tragedy that occurred in my home while I was out of town last weekend. My 17-year-old son’s friend had taken his BB rifle and was messing around with it when it discharged. It struck his friend in the throat, with the pellet now lodged in his tongue. Just one inch over and it would have been fatal.
Since then the BB gun has been removed from my son’s bedroom and we aren’t sure about when (if ever) we are going to give it back. It has certainly been a lesson to all of us.
Now some may be wondering what his friend’s parents thought about the situation, if he will ever be allowed to come over or if they were mad at us. Thankfully it hasn’t disrupted their friendship. The mother expressed early on that she didn’t blame my son. Her son has been raised around guns, with many family members working for the police force and she said he knew better than to pick up a gun.
She also said something very wise. She had a long talk with her son and expressed how this might have been his “aha” moment in life. She shared with him how when she was a teenager, she allowed her friend to take the family car out for a spin. They had owned the car just three weeks when her friend wrapped it around a tree. She said that was her “aha” moment in life.
I can see where she is coming from. Sometimes we do need an “aha” moment in life, where we sit back and consider the direction of our life. Part of the lesson she had hoped her son learned was that its time to start growing up. He will be 18 years old soon and she wants to see him take life more seriously. But she also wanted him to see how God was looking over him and protecting him.
“Aha” moments allow us the chance to reflect on things. It was most certainly an “aha” moment for my son as well. Many lessons have come out of this.
My son has had to work through guilt and the realization of what could have happened. It has been a process for our family this week but I can say that it has also drawn us closer.
Did you experience an “aha” moment in your teen years? Or has your teen experienced one?
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