Of the three episodes on the TLC miniseries on large families, Kids by the Dozen, two were given the rating of PG rather than G. The Arndts (the first episode) was rated G. Last night’s episode featuring the Heppner family and next week’s featuring our family are both PG. Why?
The reason is because…both families share about unmarried pregnancies. Miriam Heppner was very open about being a scared teenage mother 27 years ago when she and Spud conceived their oldest. As it turns out in the show, their oldest comes home at Thanksgiving and, with the TLC cameras rolling, lets everyone know that she is pregnant. Miriam and Spud responded with an incredible amount of love to the situation, but the disappointing reality of it is shown. Jemima, their oldest, is a beautiful young lady who, like Spud said, will be going through some tough times. She likely doesn’t doubt her parents’ love for her, though.
Our life story is similar. Wendy was a teenage mom who gave birth at age 15 and 18. Both children are now adults living fruitful lives, ages 23 and 20. When the cameras were rolling at our home last September capturing all sorts of fun things like folding laundry, shopping, riding around in our bus, and preparing for our birthday bash, we felt led to be even more transparent. We shared about our oldest daughter who, like her mother, had a child out of marriage. Needless to say, we shared all and (we are grateful) our daughter agreed to tell the story. Unlike the Heppners, though, our response to Alicia was not nearly as loving and nonjudgmental. Our story had an unwritten end to it, one that included a dark separation that was nothing to be proud of.
Revealing this was incredibly risky, you can imagine, but we believe God pressed on our hearts to be open with this. The blessings that have come out of this have been amazing. We have begun a miraculous reconciliation with Alicia that can literally be called a mountain-moving experience. Our next two daughters, Alissa and Cynthia, have journeyed with us in a more relational way in understanding conflicts between judgment and love. Our risks were humiliation and shame, but God has honored our stepping forth with a renewed vision for parenting and His Greatest Commandment.
So, that is why “parental guidance” is suggested. Like the Heppner’s broadcast yesterday, the majority of the show will not be consumed with the “mature” content. There are a lot of great shots the camera crew took, so I do hope you and your entire family watch the program. This PG rating we wear as a badge of honor, for it is a real story that we hope can touch the hearts of millions of real families in similar situations. All in all, as the Heppners displayed last night and the Arndts the week before, the love for our children no matter what choices they make when they start off in life is what matters most.
About Chris & Wendy Jeub
