By JODI RALL
In the Bubble columnist

A few weeks ago as I was watching an episode of Modern Family I heard a scene right out of my own home! At least TV parents Claire and Phil Dunphy get to go home after a shoot and take a break from Haley, Alex and Luke. Here in reality land, though, my mother’s advice is often ringing in my head: “You have to be strong. Don’t let them see you crying or weak!”

Recently he who shall remain nameless has been on a roll. You see I have ruined his life. Why? The exact words he used went like this: “You have ruined my life by not letting me go to Destin like other families for fall break.”

Did you know I am the meanest mother, ever? I think in Girl Scout terms this should be the “Courage Badge.”

Let me ask you -- thinking back, did your parents embarrass you or “ruin your life” by being involved parents?

Mine did and I thank God for that every day. Let me tell you how my dad ruined my life and then you compare it to your own experience; we all have them.

For me the ultimate embarrassment as a teen was having my dad own the garbage truck business in town. Oh, the teasing I got over that.

“Where did you get your clothes, Jodi, out of the garbage truck?”

Dad was quite a business man and when I shared my dismay at his work, he simply laughed and said, “Let them laugh. I laugh myself all the way to the bank.”

He was right only I did not see it then.

If my dad picked up the phone at home and a boy as on the other end, it was immediate trouble.

“Oh, sorry Jodi can’t come to the phone, she is out milking the cows. Call you back? It will be a while. See, she has to clean up the chicken coops,” Dad would say as he loved to tease me.
We did not get fall break back in “my day,” but my dad loved Sunday drives (the mall was not open on Sunday). We enjoyed nature walks, trout fishing and other adventures Dad planned just to ruin my life on those little day trips.

The other day I was in the heart of Brentwood a day or two before fall break. I overheard a young lady use the phrase with her own Mom: “You're ruining my life!” The conversation sounded similar to one that was happening at my house and, for a moment, I wanted to run over hug the women and sing Kumbaya sister because I felt her pain.

Seems the young lady was not happy about how they would be spending fall break either.

By Facebook postings it seems the majority of our friends went on fall break to some place wonderful. Two favorites seemed to be Gatlinburg or Destin; the latter would have been the first pick for my teens.

Since I dropped our first born off at UT Knoxville back in August, the plan had always been to go visit our girl and then head to the Smokey Mountains to go hiking. Fun, right? And, yes it is free.

We picked up Katie at her dorm and headed out as planned. Forty-five minutes of whining from a certain human being was about all I could take. As we drove by the tourist stuff in Pigeon Forge, it became louder.

“My friends parents are letting them do this, go there, blah, blah, blah.” Ken doll just kept driving as it seems he has this great ability to “block the chatter.”

As we entered the Smokies, I felt myself getting excited about our upcoming hike. We had chosen a four-mile trail. Although we knew it was tough, the view would be amazing at the top.
As I laced up my Merrells and Ken doll got his fanny pack with water, GPS and other gear ready for the hike, the Fab Four seemed to be excited.

Yes, I do have an active imagination.

We enter the trail and literally run into two families from Brentwood who attend church and youth group with us. Small world? No, it was pretty much like that the whole time. It was divine intervention, though, as mine saw that other teens were “suffering” too.

The day was great and we all had a wonderful time. Even he who shall remain nameless had a good time.

Because we knew that our teens wanted to do one cool thing to tell their friends; we went into Pigeon Forge and took them to “The Track.”

I did make he who shall remain nameless promise that no matter how much he thinks I’m ruining his life, to always remember I am doing it all out of love. Then the attendant escorted him up to this thing where he was dropped and flew through the sky while I sat helplessly praying, “Oh, dear God! If that line breaks, you know this will all be my fault for ruining his life!”

Wish my dad were still alive so that I could thank him for ruining my life too.