Movies or brownies

Leadership begins at home. And this dad leads his family creatively and teaches his young kids vital life lessons. This article is courtesy of the website: The Good, Clean Funnies.1

A father of some teenage children had the family rule that they could not attend PG-13 or R-rated movies. His three teens wanted to see a particular popular movie playing at local theaters. It was rated PG-13.

The teens interviewed friends and even some members of their family’s church to find out what was offensive in the movie. The teens made a list of pros and cons about the movie to convince their dad that they should be allowed to see it.

The cons were that it contained ONLY three swear words, the ONLY violence was a building exploding, and you did not actually “see” the couple having sex. It was just implied sex, off-camera.

The pros were that it was a famous movie blockbuster. Everyone was seeing it. If they could see it, they would not feel left out when friends discussed it. It contained a great story and plot and lots of adventure. There were some fantastic special effects in the movie, and it would probably be nominated for several awards.

Therefore, since there were more pros than cons, the teens said they were asking their father to reconsider his position on just this ONE movie and permit them to see it.

The father looked at the list and thought for a few minutes. He said he needed a day to think it over before making his decision.

The teens were thrilled, thinking, “Now we’ve got him!”

The next evening the father called in his three teens, smiling very smugly. There on the coffee table, he had a plate of brownies. The teens were puzzled. The father told his children he had thought about their request, and if they ate just one brownie, he would let them go to the movie. But like the movie, the brownies had pros and cons.

The pros were they were made with the finest chocolate and other good ingredients. They were moist and fresh, with wonderful yummy frosting on them. And best of all, they were made lovingly by their father’s hand.

They only had ONE con. The father, at this point, admitted that he had included a particular ingredient. He had baked them at 350 degrees, and perhaps it had destroyed the bacteria. He had included just a little bit of dog poop into the dough, and they would probably not be able to taste it.

Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies, which included just a “little dog poop,” and not be affected by it, then he knew they would be able to see the movie with just a “little bit of smut” and not be affected.

Of course, none of the teens would eat the brownies, and the smug smiles left their faces. Only dad was smiling as they left the room.

From that time on, when the teenagers ask permission to do something questionable that may harm them, the father asks, “Would you like me to whip up a batch of my special brownies?”

I do not know how you would assess this Dad, but he is creative in my book.

To all the creative fathers in the land, Happy Father’s Day!

(Francis Kong runs his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership 2.0 Master Class Online this July 5-7. For inquiries and reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or and for more information, visit www.levelupleadership.ph)