As previously mentioned, I spent most of my Elementary School years zealously Breaking Wind.  And given that my Windbreakers had vanquished any last vestiges of breezes, gusts, and zephyrs in Southern Idaho, I needed to expand my fashion horizons as I entered Middle School.  I needed to “break” in a different, more mature manner befitting of a preteen on the Precipice of Puberty.  I needed to Breakaway…Breakaway Sweatpants, that is!

And although I was trying to assert my autonomy with this bold, edgy new choice of attire, my loving mother was looking out for me.  She was well-aware of the risks of Breakaway Sweatpants.  I was always one snap away from disaster, and the future criminals of Inner City Meridian were, most assuredly, waiting for an opportunity to expose my ivory thighs to a merciless Junior High audience.

So as prophylaxis against this humiliation, my Mom sewed up the top 3 snaps of my Breakaway Sweatpants.  The only embarrassment I ever had to deal with was being the kid who wore Breakaway Sweatpants every day!  

I’m thankful my Mom was looking out for me, and as parents, we do our best to give our kids the proper foundations as they grow up.  We protect them for as long as we can.  We may even temporarily insulate them from would-be De-pantsing Delinquents!

But eventually, our kids graduate, and we have to let go.  We have to trust that the values we attempted to instill in them throughout their childhood will carry them through adulthood.  We have to trust that these precious gifts from God are equipped to handle life’s storms and hold their ground when nasty people try to unsnap and undermine their faith. We have to let them Breakaway.

Proverbs 22:6