A Parenting Tip from Mayberry

 

Opie Taylor had befriended a hobo that was temporarily visiting the environs of Mayberry. The hobo was harmless enough. He had no evil agenda other than to live off the land, even if that land included pies that someone else had baked or bubble gum that wasn't paid for.

It seems that Opie's association with the transient was having a negative effect on the young lad's moral character, so Opie's father, Sherrif Andy Taylor, decided to have a little chat with the hobo.

The hobo, of course, defended his lifestyle choices and even suggested that Andy ought to let the boy make decisions for himself.

Andy's answer to that suggestion isn't Scripture, but it sure contains a lot of wisdom:

"No, I'm afraid it don't work that way. You can't let a young’n decide for himself. He'll grab at the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then, when he finds out there's a hook in it, it's too late. Wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter that it's hard to convince them that other things might be better in the long run. All a parent can do is say 'Wait' and 'Trust me' and try to keep temptation away."

Truth is..."The heart is deceitful above all things" (Jeremiah 17:9), but "[God] will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you." (Ezekiel 36:26)