Dad's Brownies

Author Unknown

A father of three teenagers had a strict family rule: his kids were not allowed to watch PG-13 or R-rated movies.

One day, his teens desperately wanted to see a popular new blockbuster that carried a PG-13 rating. To prepare their case, they interviewed friends and church members to find out exactly what was offensive in the film.

They compiled a list of “pros” and “cons” to convince their dad to let them go.

The Cons

According to their research, the movie was not that bad:

• It only contained three swear words.
• The only violence was a single building exploding (which they argued is common on TV).
• There were no explicit scenes—the romance was only implied off-camera.

The Pros

On the positive side, the movie was a massive hit:

• Everyone at school was seeing it, and they did not want to feel left out.
• It had a great storyline, intense suspense, and incredible special effects.
• The actors were top-tier, and the movie was likely to win awards.
• Several Christian friends from church had seen it and said it was fine.

Because the pros far outnumbered the cons, the teens asked their father to make an exception just this once.

The Father’s Counterproposal

The father looked over the list and recognized that his children had put a lot of thought into their request. He asked for one day to think it over.

The teens were thrilled. They went to bed thinking:

“Now we’ve got him! Our argument is too good; Dad can’t turn us down!”

The next evening, the father called them into the living room. On the coffee table sat a freshly baked plate of brownies.

The father explained that he had considered their request. He agreed to let them see the movie, but only on one condition: they had to eat a brownie first.

Like the movie, he explained, the brownies had their own pros and cons.

The Brownie Pros

• They were made with the finest chocolate and high-quality ingredients.
• They had crunchy walnuts mixed into a moist, fresh batter.
• They were topped with delicious chocolate frosting.
• They were baked using an award-winning recipe, made lovingly by their father.

The Brownie Con

The brownies only had one downside. The father had added a tiny bit of a “special ingredient” to the mix: dog poop.

He assured them that he had mixed the batter thoroughly. They probably wouldn’t even taste it. Plus, he had baked them at 350 degrees, so any harmful bacteria had surely been killed.

He offered his conclusion:

“If you can eat these brownies containing just a little bit of waste without it affecting you, then you can certainly watch a movie with just a little bit of smut (indecent or impure content) without it affecting you.”

The Lesson

Needless to say, the teenagers refused to touch the brownies, and their smug (overly self-satisfied) smiles quickly disappeared.

Just a little bit of evil can completely ruin something that is otherwise good.

Now, whenever his kids ask to do something he opposes, the father simply asks:

“Would you like me to whip up a batch of my special brownies?”