Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” What the scripture doesn’t say is how wearing on the parents the never ending training opportunities can be.
One such training moment was the time when David and I (Jonathan) were entering/approaching our teenage years. We decided to take the idea of throwing crab apples of the roof of the house at cars to the next level. We gathered up a large paper bag of crab apples and late one weekend night we trekked the few block to Fairfax Elementary School (the newer school with one story and pitched roofs). It must have been close to 11pm when we arrived. We scaled the roof and proceeded to heave crab apples at the cars passing by on Lee Road. Somehow the police got word of our mischief, because just before we called it a night, a towering, intimidating beast of a police officer pointed his huge beaming flashlight up at us from the ground below and said in the deepest bass voice “Hey you boys come down from there right now!” Dave and I looked at each other and quickly debated whether we should make a run for it, but decided against it. We climbed down and were whisked off to the police station. I trembled at the threatenings spewed by the police officer of putting us into a juvenile delinquent center, and being “eaten alive” by the bad-to-the-bone inner city boys who were there. I equally dreaded the anger and utter disappointment I anticipated receiving from Mom when she came to reclaim us from the station. The only thing in which I took solace was knowing that Dad was out of town and so we’d be spared the harshest punishment until his return. The ride home from the police station felt much further than it was.
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Yes, this is one of the most memorable stories from my childhood! I must now apologize to Jon, since it was me, the elder brother, who led him into this rascally adventure! There is a bit more of the back-story to this one I may get to fill in later.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it might be fun to share just a bit of the blame with MY elder brethren....(heeheehee) Since it was observing Doug and Brad with their friends throwing fire-cracker packed apples from off the roof of our house, on the Fourth of July, that opened my eyes to the entertainment potential of the fruit projectile, in the first place.
Reading Dave's comment, jogs my memory, that come to think of it I mustn't have want to have any part of such a nefarious charade, and I must've suggested instead that we stay home and study the scriptures and engage in other pious activities, but that David would have none of it and dragged me kicking and screaming the whole way! Yeah, yeah, that's how it was. Actually, I don't doubt that Dave may have talked me into working out my throwing arm atop the school, but the excitment of the whole affair must've got to me as well. And I would say that our elder brothers deserve most of the blame for introducing us angels to such fun, er, delinquency. ;0)
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