Remember the episode of the Brady Bunch where Marcia had the lead role of Juliet in the school play of “Romeo and Juliet”? Marcia developed an attitude and treated her co-star, and other students very disrespectfully, thinking that she was a more proficient actress, even trying to re-write Shakespeare’s words. The teacher, Miss Goodwin, did not like Marcia’s behavior and with the approval of the play committee, and her parents, replaced Marcia with the understudy. Marcia’s parents agreed that she had become “too big for her britches” and she would not heed their warning so she had to learn it by getting replaced, the hard way.
Marcia Brady rehearsing her role as Juliet with her co-star in the school play as “Romeo and Juliet.”
Sometimes kids need to learn lessons the tough way. We’d like for them to learn these lessons under OUR supervision, in the privacy of their own home, away from being embarrassed in front of their peers or the public, but sometimes that is not possible and they are left to learn a very hard lesson, however, sometimes the hardest lessons are those we learn the most from. When I see or read about Tiger Woods in the news, I think of this situation. We all remember the Thanksgiving that his personal life came crashing down, soon followed by his professional life, as his poor behavior, mostly kept hidden and unchecked, became exposed and no doubt he had to learn some very important life lessons the hard way in a very public way and at the expense of his family. As a young man, he was talented and it seems as if he got by with inappropriate behavior because of his talent. People looked the other way rather than acknowledging it. The adults in his life let him down by allowing it to go on. They did him no favors, in fact they did him a HUGE disservice, and it really was not in his best interest. As time went on, it seemed to get worse. You may have come across kids in sports your kids play that seem to get by with certain behaviors because of their talent. The adults who grossly overlook poor behavior are doing their children NO FAVORS. Although the consequences may not be as great as in Tiger’s situation, eventually they do catch up with them, in missed opportunities, fractured relationships or disappointments, the hard lessons in life.
Tiger seems to have learned from his mistakes and he has paid the consequences in a tarnished reputation. Everyone deserves a second chance and he has made the most of his with an amazing come back, despite a back injury, a serious car accident and sustained injuries. Could his situation early on have been avoided if a poor attitude and behavior had been addressed early on? Maybe. And just think how much different his life may have been and think of how much better it would have been for him to have learned these lessons at an early age, in the privacy of his own home, from his own parents, away from the public. This week, when news of President Biden’s pardoning of his son, Hunter, I couldn’t help but think of the same situation and how much different life could have been if his problems had been addressed early on. Years of issues being swept under the rug, lied about, hidden and now as an adult, unfortunately, this is what will be remembered about this First Family’s son. Bad behavior not dealt with has consequences for those who behave poorly and sadly, for innocent children and other family members. Dealing with the problems those we love is hard, uncomfortable and can be very painful, whether it’s bad behavior or substance abuse, dealing with these issues early on can be beneficial for everyone involved. I remember a window washer who worked for us tell us that his father taught him a very good lesson when he was in his early twenties when he was involved in substance abuse as well as bad behavior. He was arrested for driving under the influence. When his father came to jail after he was arrested, he thought he would be bailed out. His father told him, “As hard as this is for me, you need to be here. Your Mom and I tried to teach you, we tried to help you and get help for you and you have fought us. You are going to have to learn the hard way. Maybe now you will realize that you have a problem that needs to be dealt with. We’ll help you, but you need to learn how serious this is.” At twenty-two, “Dan” felt that hitting rock bottom and spending some time in jail made him wake up, get help and move on. He now has taken over his father’s very reputable business and has a family of his own. He is grateful for the lesson his parents taught him, even though it was a tough one. For “Dan” and Tiger I am glad they have moved on and applaud them for turning their lives around. Now they can be a good coach, mentor and parent to their children…Making for many Great Days for them and their families.
