Respectable Christians

Confirmation Class

My son Andrew did his first skate punk concert last night at The Bluebird here in Denver. Agent Orange and The Restraining Orders were on the bill.

He’s 13 going on 14. Bar Mitzvah time if we were Jewish.

Pretty much the age for black and white, cut and dried music.

And morality. And religion. And politics too.

If you’ve raised a teen or two you know what I’m talking about. Black and white takes are a necessary step along the way.

Gotta give ‘em some room to work through those adolescent polarities. If you don’t you'll end with a member of the Religious Right or the President of Venezuela.

Andrew went with one of his buddies and his friend's mom who acted as chaperone. I'm so glad she was willing to go. She's in her 30's. I'm a little too old these days to pass for anything but a DEA agent in the mosh pit.

Andrew told me afterwards that some older spiked guy told him, “Wish my mom had come along when I was your age.”

I’ve been taking Andrew through the parables of Jesus. He’s old enough to get what’s going on.

Jesus spent most of his time with prostitutes and punks. Not much attention for the well-scrubbed and comfortable.

Gotta introduce your kids early to the real old time religion if you want ‘em to be respectable Christians when they grow up :^)