1 Kings 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
As a child my mother always played tapes of “patch the pirate” on the way to school in the mornings. It got to the point where I hadn’t just memorized the songs, but much of the characters lines as well!
One of my favorite songs was “The Poochie Lip Disease” (probably because I had the bad habit of pouting when I didn’t get what I wanted), which is included below.
Even without Patch the Pirate music, the phrase “poochie lip” is clearly understood by the children and young people who I occasionally visit. Basically it refers to a child who doesn’t get what they want, and then respond in anger, or moody pouting.
Thankfully for most children the “poochie lip” only makes an appearance when they are having a really bad day. However there are some for whom it is a way of life.
I Know boys and girls in Barrouallie who when they don’t get what they want;
- Will immediately become incredibly disrespectful
- Will blow up in violent anger
- Will begin crying and feeling sorry for themselves
- Or will isolate themselves, refusing to interact with anyone
The really sad thing is responses like this seem to be more and more common, along with a very disrespectful attitude towards those in authority.
This is probably a combination of too little time around their parents (people who will tell them no), and being used to getting whatever they want. But in my opinion, it comes from parents or authority figures allowing the smaller forms of rebellion (crying, self-pity, isolation) to continue until it becomes a more serious problem.
While I’m not a parent I have seen the danger of these passive rebellions, and notice they don’t stay passive. So with the Lords help I’ve begun disciplining the poochie lip.
Now when I use the word “discipline” please understand I’m not referring to anything physical. Instead a child who displays the wrong attitude won’t be given a reward or be allowed to play if we have a game-time. Also in extreme cases I just stop visiting that child.
The point is, the passive rebellion never really stays passive….its going to become bigger. So the wise thing to do is deal with the self-pity like my parents did when I was a child, before it becomes a violent temper-tantrum.
Part of being a spiritual parent is putting a stop to the children who show are constantly disrespectful and rude, but it also means putting a stop to the poochie lip disease.
Johnhwilburn.org 