clothes, food and teenagers

I have finally figured out the difference between teenage boys and girls, and how to make them happy.

For a teenage girl, it is all about the shopping. They may have a closet full of clothes and yet be unfulfilled. My girls have a closet full, but will sneak into each other's rooms to sneak something new to wear. The thievery has been the source of many painful discussions at our home. These girls are growing up just like their mother. How many pairs of shoes can one girl wear? My dad would have said it well, "you can only wear one pair of shoes at a time."

If they are depressed, set them up with a trip to Kohl's and they are whole again. Don't waste the $80 on a counselor, just give it to them in cash and they will come home happy. If I need a sweater, I will wait until they go on sale, walk into the store, pick out a sweater, pay for it and leave. The girls will spend all day buying a sweater. We run into people in the grocery store. The girls talk to them. Later I say, "who was that?" It was the woman who works the sweater department at Kohl's. They know my daughters personally. Do you know why there are always hotels and places to eat next to Kohl's? Think about it. It takes the girls so long to shop, they have to eat and sleep. And $80 for a sweater, well the sweater was only $30, but we had to eat too dad.

Cute clothes. Cute is very important. They will look all day for something that is cute. But, no matter how long they look for something, once they hang it up in their closet, it is less cute. Less cute than anything that is hanging in their sister's closet. Why don't they just trade clothes every month or so. It would be a much better world.

Then there is their brother. He went to Kohl's yesterday to buy sweat pants for track. He was gone ten minutes. He is a man after my own heart. Walked in, saw 'em, bought 'em, came home. That's how men shop.

The way to the heart of a teenage boy is through his stomach. This kid will eat anything. One day last week, he ate oatmeal for breakfast, lunch I did not see, five peanut butter sandwiches after school. After work, he at a cube steak and asparagus. Before he went to bed, one more peanut butter sandwich.

He is scary. One of these days I think he is going to grow about a foot overnight.

If he is depressed, its real easy. Yogurt, pudding, cookies, chips, more chips, all kinds of chips. Mexican, Italian, Chinese, he doesn't care. Give him food and he is happy. Feeding him is not cheap, it costs about as much as sending the girls to Kohl's, but at least he doesn't steal his sister's food.

Ok. sorry about this, but I have to go here. As I write this humorous note on the difference between boys and girls, I am struck with a very painful thought. Many of us will read this, laugh and go on, assuming that all the world is like our families. But they are not. All the world is not like our families.

I met kids in Russia who have one sweater. One. One. Not one closet full, one sweater. They have never been to Kohl's. They will live and die, with the meagre necessities of life. They will never steal clothes from their sister. Their sister doesn't have anything either.

And the food. The things that I have seen in Russia. People who sacrifice to feed the Americans, and eat very little the rest of the time. Plain, ordinary simple foods. Russians hang with friends because they may have nothing to eat at their apartment today. Going to the store and there isn't much there. If you have money, it isn't about what you want for dinner, you pick from what may be available at the time.

And so I have opened up a very deep and painful discussion that all Americans should have. I have a pantry full of food, I have a closet full of clothes. My kids fight over each other's clothes, where there are things hanging in their closets that they have not seen, much less worn in years.

What should we do? Give some of our clothes away? Yes. YES. Give food away. Yes. Give money to help the poor. Yes.

Is that enough? I don't know. Somewhere, I also think it is important to consider what kind of steward I am of God's stuff. When I think of how much I have and how little others around the world have, I am convicted. I want to live my life in a way that I can help others. I want to think it terms that draw a very big circle. I want to take in as many people as I can. I want to help. I want to care. I want the way I live my life to say to God, "I see what you have done for me. Thank you. Help me to help others, every day, every way that I can." Lord, help my life to be about human beings, not about stuff.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.