FHE: Bullies

You've seen pictures of my kids, right? Da Boo and the Boy. Cute, aren't they? But they're also kinda short, incurably silly, and they wear glasses. Hey, I think glasses on little kids are adorable! But other kids might not think so. I worry about them being bullied and picked on in school (and maybe a little bit because I think karma is going to get me on this one for harassing kids when I was in elementary school). So I worry. 'Cuz that's what I do best.

Family Home Evening was not going to happen last night. Dinner was really late, we had friends over and the Man was "resting his eyes" upstairs. Instead of throwing in the towel, I showed the kids a Veggie Tales movie called "Minnesota Cuke." It's one they've seen before. The Boy got it for Christmas. I just hope the lesson sinks in...that if they ever find themselves in the same situation - a large gourd threatening to pound them into soup - then I hope they'd remember what to do. (And if you've never seen Veggie Tales, I highly recommend them! I like to watch them, too. "Lord of the Beans" is really great!)

Opening Song: Veggie Tales theme song (see? I totally wussed out on actually planning.)

Opening Prayer: The kids' friend said the opening prayer.

Lesson: We watched the first part of the DVD which is a mini story about standing up to bullies. (The Minnesota Cuke portion is a spoof on Indiana Jones and also deals with bullies but it was already past their bedtime so we kept it short).

Junior Asparagus and his friends are threatened by a bully named Gordon, who kicks them out of their favorite playground. Junior (who actually is an asparagus) daydreams about being brave, strong and able to defeat the bully. His father talks to him about standing up for himself, showing the bully that he's not afraid. God does not gives us fear, He gives us courage. And even if he gets pounded, not to fight. "Turn the other cheek." So rallied by his friends, Junior goes back to the playground and faces Gordon the bully. He tells him that beating him up only proves that Gordon is three times bigger than he is and that he is not afraid of the bully. Just when it looks like Junior is about to be pounded, his friends stand up to the bully, too. Gordon leaves. The veggies celebrate their victory...by singing, of course!

"We know we're not weak, turning our cheek,
With the courage that comes from our God!"

Closing Song: Pizza Angel. (It's the "silly song" on the DVD. Each Veggie Tales has one and they are pretty good! My favorites include Barbara Manatee, My Cheeseburger and Song About Cebu.)

Closing Prayer: a very sleepy Boo said the prayer...and nearly dozed off toward the end.

Treats: On Sunday, Aunt Denise made the Man Seven Layer Bars - his favorite. We had some of those...but the Man was still "resting his eyes" so don't tell him, okay?

“Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, fireside, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 12 Nov. 1996).