Confession from the Parent of a Preteen Boy

I have always been one of those people who enjoys a good movie that makes me think about how it relates to my life. I also love sharing my life experiences in comparison to the movies that I watch with you. Hence, why this blog is actually titled Tidbits of Experience. I was given the chance to get to watch [easyazon_link identifier=”B00R8ILF06″ locale=”US” tag=”tidbitofexp-20″]Confessions of a Prodigal Son[/easyazon_link] in exchange for a post about this movie. To say the opportunity to watch this movie with my kids was a blessing is an understatement.

Jimmy has reached the preteen age, and he’s always been a rebellious boy from the word go because he’s had a rough childhood to overcome. As a result, he’s a little fighter. It’s hard as his mother to not tolerate being disrespected and yet still keep that fighter within him alive. He has reached the stage in life where he wants to “become his person.”

Pin this quote because it’s worth keeping. This movie is also well worth watching! Pin it to your favorite quotes and then pin it for a movie to remember to watch. Thank you.

 

Ironically enough, we had a talk not that long ago about him trying to become who he wants to be and not who we want him to become. He also feels like we’ve been expecting him to become this perfect child that he doesn’t feel he could live up to being. Mind you, I nick pick my family to death (which is a shortcoming of mine that I inherited.)

While we were watching the [easyazon_link identifier=”B00R8ILF06″ locale=”US” tag=”tidbitofexp-20″]Confessions of a Prodigal Son[/easyazon_link], I kept thinking how great this movie was for Jimmy to watch to know that I do the things I do out of love. I wanted him to appreciate what we were doing. I was watching it in hopes of getting justification for my nagging. He did walk away from watching this movie in better spirits, and he seemed to gain an appreciation of my quirk.

Confession from the Parent of a Preteen Boy

For me, I didn’t get my justification for my actions. What I got instead was a reality check! It dawned on me just how much I’m pushing him and the rest of my family away. I just see so much potential that I see within them. When I just need to appreciate them for who they are now. Yes, I’ll still encourage them to be more, but I don’t have to ride them all.day.every.day.

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This movie gave the quote, “every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” It is such a power quote. I know I’m not perfect, and I’ll never be perfect. I seriously doubt I’ll ever be classified as a saint. When someone has their life in order and seems to full of love to give others, we forget that they may have had a past too.

I believe that I’m a sinner who has a promising future of hopefully one day being considered a “saint.” I feel that means I have a long road to travel to reach my goal. I have many shortcomings I need to break first. I do believe it’s possible that with God’s help that I can break them.

This movie was good for our family to watch together because both Jimmy and I both learned something valuable from it. I would recommend it for anyone to watch. I will warn you there is alcohol and drug use throughout the movie, but you can bank your kids see that a lot of other places. This movie makes sure to address that matter in subtle ways too. I have to say that there isn’t a lot of “preaching” involved in this movie. [easyazon_link identifier=”B00R8ILF06″ locale=”US” tag=”tidbitofexp-20″]Confessions of a Prodigal Son[/easyazon_link] is a movie that will make you think about the choices you make with your own life.

Don’t leave here without checking out this preview of the movie.

It’s available to pre-order now too.

[easyazon_infoblock align=”center” identifier=”B00R8ILF06″ key=”image” locale=”US” tag=”tidbitofexp-20″]

I’d love to hear your parenting confession if you’re willing to share it. 

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Crystal

I'm Crystal. I'm married to Dale, and mother to Johnny.Some might say that my life is perfect because I get to do all the cliché wife things like cooking, cleaning, and decorating - but there's more! I also have many hobbies including needlework (crochet), sewing, and reading. My son's education is important, so we homeschool him together.

64 comments on “Confession from the Parent of a Preteen Boy”

  1. sounds like a great movie and one to watch with the kids. I think we all want more for our family but finding that balance is key. Thank u for sharing your personal story. 🙂

    Reply
    • I’m glad you enjoyed it. You will enjoy this movie. Finding that balance is really hard to do.
      Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  2. This looks like a really good movie. We are Christians and have a lot of movies that are faith based, and will definitely be adding this one to our collection. Thanks for this review!

    Reply
    • You’re welcome. There are many good Christian based movie reviews all throughout this blog. In fact, I’m putting up a new one on Tuesday with a giveaway for the movie too.
      Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  3. My son is also a preteen (he’s 10) and just starting with the sass, so this might be a good movie for us to sit down and watch as a family. It sounds like there are some good lessons to be learned from it.

    Reply
    • There are some really good lessons from the movie for sure. I didn’t expect to be the one getting a lesson.
      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  4. I like that quote, too. Our kids should always know that they’re loved by their parents–it’s easy to be the “punisher” when they’re doing wrong (I’ve done it myself). I’ll definitely check this movie out!

    Reply
    • Thank you for stopping by and commenting. You’re right it so much easier to be the “punisher” and constantly point what they are doing wrong. I’m trying diligently to point out the things they are doing right too.
      I hope to see you again soon.

    • It may be far away, but it’s still a good movie to watch for sure. Enjoy these younger years as long as you can. Of course, I am not enjoying the demanding fussy years of my three-year-old right now either. I do love her cuddles and loads of love she offers up though! She is still so innocent, and that makes it enjoyable.

      Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  5. This sounds pretty interesting. I have never heard of it until just now reading your post. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • God’s Not Dead was a remarkable movie for sure. This movie is along very similar lines, but it has a slower pace than God’s Not Dead.

  6. It’s always nice when movies have a message. I’m glad this one can help you with your pretteen. As a mom of a teen it only gets more challenging.

    Reply
    • I dread the tougher years coming. I haven’t come across a parent yet who doesn’t say it gets any easier. I’d like to think as he gets older we’ll get closer. One can hope right???

      Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  7. It sounds like this brought up some great talking points. As young children, communication was so easy with my children. I hope that, through family experiences like this one, we are able to keep those lines open.

    Reply
    • I hope you can too. It’s certainly not an easy task to do. I’m trying desperately to keep those lines open with the kids.

  8. I hadn’t even heard that this movie would be coming out! Thanks for posting about it. Parent/child relationships are often not completely smooth or natural, that’s for sure.

    Reply
    • They don’t feel natural all of the time as much as we are lead to believe. You brought up a point that many people don’t understand. Thank you so much for sharing your input.

    • It’s a great family movie if you’re kids are preteen or older. That is when they start to fully comprehend the message in this movie. It’s a good movie for sure.

  9. This sounds like a very endearing movie. It will be on my NetFlix ‘to watch’ list. Thanks for the review. I have such a hard time finding good movies.

    Reply
    • I think girls enter the drama stage sooner than boys do. At least that’s what I’ve heard. I’ll know when Zeva gets there. She’s only three and already full of loads of drama.

  10. Sounds like a great movie. Loved your blog post! And I feel like every mom can relate to your struggle. We’re all trying to help our kids grow into their best selves…doing it with grace is the tricky part:)

    Reply
    • Thank you Jes, for the words of encouragement. I love movies like this that give me the chance to share a bit of ourselves with the movie review.

  11. As a mom of a preteen son who is also a nit-picker, I will definitely have to watch this! Thanks for sharing. I’m stopping by from the Saturday Soiree. Hope you have a good weekend!

    Reply
    • I’m glad that I’m not alone in being a nit-picker. I appreciate you taking the time to come by and comment. I hope to see you again soon.

    • It is a really good movie. I’m confident you will like it.
      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  12. I don’t spend much time watching movies but this sounds like one I might enjoy. I know my son might appreciate watching ti with me too!

    Reply
    • I have found that finding quality wholesome family movies isn’t as easy as it use to be. I am glad this movie was one that was worth watching. Even it had alcohol, drugs, and some fighting in it, but it added to the storyline.
      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

    • It is a really good quote. I enjoy many of his quotes. He comes across as a very wise man.
      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  13. I’m waiting to see this one. I’m glad it’s all I hoped it would be and more. Sounds like a great inspirational movie for all parents.

    Reply
    • It is an inspirational movie for sure. I’m confident you’ll enjoy watching it.
      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  14. I can’t wait to see this movie! I love movies that remind us to remind us of the invaluable lessons we can apply to our modern life from the Bible and support us in our journey as parents. CS Lewis is fantastic!

    Reply
    • This quote from CS Lewis great for sure. I enjoyed this movie a lot. I’m pretty confident that you will too.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  15. After reading your post, I had to see the trailer. Whoa, I hope this comes out on DVD at Redbox or is available on Netflix, I will definitely rent or watch it.

    Reply
  16. It sounds like Mike needs to watch this. Though we have daughters, he is a “rider” – CONSTANTLY on the Teen for what she isnt doing to prepare for her future. I get it but UGH I want to enjoy NOW.

    Reply
    • It sounds like he could benefit from taking the time to watch this movie then. It’s an eye opener to a parent like myself. 🙂
      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  17. This must be a good watch, I love the story of the prodigal son. My daughters love Bible stories too.

    Reply
    • You’d enjoy this movie a lot then for sure. It’s a more updated version of that story in some ways.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  18. There is that fine line between teaching them and overwhelming them. I have my days where I’m guilty of the latter. Of course I do it out of love but have learned to back off a bit in order to give them room to realize that what we as parents are trying to teach comes from a place of love and not control. I had never heard of this movie and I definitely want to check it out with our kids. We just saw “God is NOT dead” and we really enjoyed it. So maybe we’ll get lucky with this one as well. Thanks for sharing! ♥

    Reply
    • Thank you for letting me know I am not the only one guilty of this. It’s nice to know that we’re in the trenches together. I really enjoyed God is NOT Dead. Did you know they have another movie coming out soon called The War Room? I get to preview it on the 21st Lord willing.

      Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.

  19. I’m stopping by from Mom 2 Mom. 🙂 I’ve seen this movie advertised, and I really want to see it. It sounds good from your review. (And I have a teenage son as well.)

    Reply

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