I am going to start a new business venture.  My empty nest is going to become a place of refuge for teenage boys that need to escape maternal wrath.  When mom is fired up, it’s just best to leave the country.  You need a refuge that is owned and operated by an empathic male that has raised boys of his own.

One of my favorite middle-school age boys is Teddy. (not his real name. I have changed the names to protect the guilty). I met Teddy not too long after he was potty trained. We go way back.  He’s a great kid!  Teddy is intelligent, articulate, and it appears he is going to be favored among the ladies.  But poor Teddy is on the receiving end of some maternal wrath at the moment.

It seems that Teddy told his mom another boy at school punched him.  And it happened more than once… They don’t make moms any better than Teddy’s.  She went up to the school and had a firm, but respectful chat with the assistant principal.   She doesn’t want her sweet Teddy being bullied!

After a follow-up discussion, the truth finally surfaced.  It turns out that my friend Teddy was bullying a boy that is two years his senior.  And the kid finally got enough, so punches were thrown.

  

At this point, any self-respecting male has to feel empathy for Teddy.  His mother’s blood pressure is slightly elevated. Teddy is one step away from maternal wrath.  He is instructed to apologize to the older boy. That’s a done deal.  Boys make up quickly and easily.   But he is also told to issue a sincere apology to the assistant principal.  At this point, a life sentence on the island of Alcatraz sounds better to Teddy.  But he accomplishes that feat as well…

Teddy should not go home. Under no circumstances should he get in his mother’s car after school.  Nothing but wrath awaits that poor boy.  He needs to come to my place of refuge.  We will calmly discuss the entire event over ice cream. And then we might take the train over to the American Airlines Center and take in a Maverick’s game.   There is nothing quite like a refuge owned and operated by a veteran dad that has raised boys.

Actually Teddy’s mom is a rarity in a culture that is out of control.  She has taught her son what accountability looks like.  He has learned some life valid principles in this incident.  Such ideals as humility, confession, and reconciliation have been firmly and most likely permanently imbedded on his heart.   A good boy is going grow up to be a fine man.

But…if he feels the need to escape the wrath, my business is up and running.  I will send him a bill when he becomes a successful adult thanks to good parents!