Family Squabbles, Part 1

I suppose there are two kinds of family squabbles; necessary and unnecessary. Let's take a peek at a typical family of Mom, Dad, Big Sis and Lil' bro. They are a wholesome American family, moderate means, a good school system and they all go to church on Sundays.

However, Dad has a temper which gets out of hand at times, usually over a minor matter. Mom is a peacemaker, soothes situations when they get troublesome. Big Sis tends to lord over her Lil' brother needlessly which doesn't make their family life as ideal as it could (and should) be.

As the family aged, things didn't get better. If anything, it became more troublesome, especially at home. Domestic responsibilities led the way because the children seemed to resent their tasks (doing dishes, mowing grass, tidying up their rooms etc.), begging for items so they could use their allowance for more personal matters (not always acceptable to their folks).

When Lil' bro entered Junior High, he wanted to play varsity basketball. The coach saw potential but the ninth graders belittled him which led to bullying. His Big Sis added to the fray as big sisters can do to younger siblings. This intensified until one day, the Coach called a meeting of all the fathers of the members of the team. They met one evening at a nearby restaurant and were seated in a private room. The Coach welcomed them, talked about the Basketball Season so far and then dribbled into the unsettling bullying.

At first the men shrugged it off: boys will be boys until Lil' bro's father spoke up. He showed his irritation at the Coach which led to another father who intervened saying that he also had detected some excessive bullishness with his own children lately. Then the Coach described some examples without mentioning names. However, some of the men nodded as he talked and the mood quickly changed again.

The meeting ended affirming that the Coach should take action with the team and the fathers, especially Lil' bro's father who realized how blind he had been to his own children's situation. He then confessed to his wife for his ill temper, questioned his daughter's animosity toward her Lil' brother, invoking her confession. Then, in a family session, asked them why bullying and other bad behaviors were wrong. He was rather surprised when both children said it was because the Bible warned against it.

On their church attendance the following Sunday it took on a whole new meaning for the entire family. 

To be continued (next week) . . .