Joey & Carla Link
September 30, 2026
What exactly is foolishness? By definition, it is “the lack of good judgment, sense, or wisdom.” It is when you have taught your child what they should do, but they decide they don’t like your advice or reasoning, so they do what they think is right, even when they don’t have the wisdom or good sense to make that decision.
It’s like when parents of a young preteen boy try to help their son learn to think clearly and use common sense when it comes to money. This boy wanted to buy a bike from a friend. He had the money to pay for it, but it really wasn’t a good purchase. His friend was getting a new bike, so he was trying to get rid of his old one.
The young preteen had always liked his friend’s bike, so when his friend offered to sell it to him, he really wanted to buy it. He asked his parents’ opinion, and they told him it wasn’t a good buy for the price. But he still really wanted it, and he didn’t want to negotiate over the price.
Mom and Dad gave him every reason possible why he shouldn’t buy the bike. They even encouraged him to save up some more money so he could buy a new bike. But nothing would deter him from making the rash decision to buy the bike he had been wanting for years.
After a week of riding the used bike, the young man learned why his friend had decided to buy a new one. First, it got a flat tire because the tires were worn out. Then, the chain kept falling off while he was riding it, and the kickstand didn’t work properly. All of these things could have been fixed, but he didn’t want to work on the bike, he just wanted to ride it.
He eventually put the bike in the garage and started riding his old bike again, only now he wasn’t riding with the friend he had bought the bike from.
Wisdom can be a tough lesson to learn. But this boy learned a lot from that experience, especially about listening to his parents’ advice and becoming wiser when making purchases.
Mom and Dad, what lessons do you need to let your kids learn through experience, lessons that won’t hurt them but will teach them not to be foolish?
“Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.”
Proverbs 17:12
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