Brave stupidity

Tuesday morning I was listening to the Bob and Sheri Show on 107.9 the Link. (I was driving home from having my butt handed to me at Zumba)

They were talking about Parents who busted their kids for stupid things, and Bob mentioned something called "Brave Stupidity". (Kids and teenagers doing STUPID things without realizing how dangerous they can be, or without thinking about the consequences if they get caught.)
For example: 13 year old girl sneaking out of her bedroom window, stealing her mothers ATM card and car and driving herself to a party. Girls sneaking out to smoke in the backyard while her parents slept in the next room.etc etc. (These were actual stories, not my personal repertoire. Come on, give me a little credit, I was so much more creative!)


It got me to thinking about my teenage years and my MANY moments of Brave Stupidity.(Lindsey Hush.. You take me down, I take YOU down....)
I wont go into detail, as there are impressionable youth who read my blog.(and quite honestly I dont want to give them ideas...or fodder for gossip)
I will say that as I was growing up my parents had SUCH a hard time with me. I was so out of control, I dont know how they didnt ship me off to a military academy and have it beaten out of me. They tried hard to set a good example and help me see the error of my ways, but I was too busy having fun and doing things I definitely SHOULD NOT have been doing.
But they kept on plodding along, meteing out consequenses for my stupidity, trying to show me the error of my ways. I never got busted for the same crime twice. I was pretty original and varied in my wrongdoings. Of course they didnt catch half the stuff I was doing.( Or I dont think they did. Perhaps they were just picking their battles)
But eventually I grew weary of the party life and settled down. I used to look back and just shudder with revulsion, my stomach would churn and my mouth would get sour when I would remember my grotesque behavior.
But over the years I have forgiven myself and can now not completely cringe and feel sick inside when I think about it(which is seldom). I have gotten to a point in my life and to an age where I know I am not that person anymore and I have worked really hard to overcome those addictions and obstacles. So I dont think about it, and when I do it isnt a complete mental anguish.

Listening to some of the parents talk about the stuff their kids did and how they got busted really made me look back and think HARD about the progression my life has taken.


So i am thankful to my mom and dad who forced me to go to Utah for college. They KNEW I would be around good kids who could be a good example for me. They knew there would be very little trouble I could get into there (boy were THEY wrong!! If there is any sort of trouble I am usually the one to find it) . But it was a great starting point for a new life.

I am thankful that I met Charles who has shown me what unconditional love and forgiveness is and that I am a worthwhile person.

I am thankful that I have surrounded myself with good friends who dont judge me for the person i used to be, but celebrate the person I have become. For my friends who have stood by me and helped me along my journey and helped me realize I didnt need to be such a dumb*** and yes even time to time have a good laugh about it.

And most of all, I am thankful for my brave stupidity. Now I know what to look for in my own kids once those teen years hit.

They are so dead.