Little Ones

Raising a child is difficult. Raising a child in today's society is a daunting task. Raising a child who is raising a child is scary!

My youngest son is a teenage parent-to-be. His life changed drastically; football, his passion, has taken a back seat to work. His school, a private Christian school, kicked him out. (We knew this would happen as it is in the contract). They didn't kick him out as punishment; a pregnant teen is a distraction, and since the school is K-12 it is a distraction the little ones don't need. I understand all this. Likewise, Stephanie was kicked out and had to give up her passion, cheerleading, for obvious reasons. She is a national champion, and to give up the fame and applause has to be a difficult thing to do!

But my son has made a giant leap forward. he has become a man. He didn't bolt and run, he didn't urge her to get an abortion, and didn't blame her for the results of their action. He stood up and told us he was responsible for what happened, even though what they did was mutual. He wants to be by his girl and his baby and will do what it takes to make their lives comfortable.

In today's society this is rare.

But what shocked me the most was how they were initially treated. It seems that Christians eat their own when they sin. Rather than reach out to two young kids who messed up, many have treated them like lepers. It's not contagious! Friends evaporate. Jokes start. Fingers point blame at the parents. Angry emails appear. Kids are no longer allowed to spend the night or go to a movie with them. It's no wonder so many teens rush to abortion as a premanent solution to pregnancy!

Even more surprising is the number of people who support these two, all of them unlikely candidates. These are people I never thought would rally and come to the rescue but would instead wag their tongues and shun us. We have more than enough baby furniture and clothing, and promises of more to come. Family members have overwhelmed us with support and kind words.

What they did was indeed sin. But even in sin there is redemption, forgiveness, and love. God has forgiven them; people take a little longer it seems. They've confessed their sins and asked forgiveness and that's that. They will live with the consequences of their actions from now on. But, remember, it is God who opens and closes the womb, and therefore no baby should be aborted. This baby never asked to be born, and has done no wrong. We'll help them raise it, and they want it, and that settles it.

And by the way it's a girl, the first in our entire family for several generations. I can't wait to see little Madison.