Freaky Friday

Main Point: We must be extra careful to make wise decisions when we are around the opposite sex.

Attention Grabber: Movie – Freaky Friday
This movie is about an overworked mother and her daughter who do not get along. When they switch bodies, each is forced to adapt to the other's life for one freaky Friday.

Clip: Want a ride?
We’ve all seen smart, independent-minded teenagers (both guys and girls) who get around an attractive member of the opposite sex and seem to have experienced an invisible lobotomy. Unfortunately their knack for wise choices sometimes goes AWOL with their brains. Begin the clip at about 62 minutes into Freaky Friday, Scene 8 on the DVD called “Sparks Fly”, from where the Disney castle forms. Stop after a few seconds of Tess and Jake driving down the freeway – but before the scene in Anna’s room. This is a great scene that illustrates “situational ethics with the opposite sex.”

Scene Introduction:
Today we are going to talk about relationships. Before we begin, however, we are going to watch a clip from the film Freaky Friday. In the scene, Anna, momentarily forgetting she’s in her mother Tess’s body, is flirting with Jake at the coffee shop he works at. All of a sudden, she realizes she is in her mom's body so she tells Jake she has to go. It was established earlier in the movie that Anna was not allowed to ride on a boy’s motorcycle. But now that she has her mother's body, let's see how she makes decisions.

Scene Script:

Jake: What? Don’t go.

Tess: No, no. I…have a wedding rehearsal.

Jake: Whose?

Tess: Mine

Jake: Are you serious?

Tess: I wish I wasn’t.

Jake: Hey – you’re not really getting married are you?

Tess: Please, listen, this was so fun, and I’m gonna remember it forever.

Jake: Okay, but you can’t…look, I don’t know what’s going on here. I don’t know what this whole thing is, alright, I just…I feel like I know you.

Tess: (eyes tearing) I have to go. Really, I just…

Jake: Please. Just please. Let me at least give you a ride.

Tess: Okay!

Transitional Statement:
Isn't it crazy how we can be so easily influenced by the opposite sex? Sometimes, someone will turn into a totally different person, just because an attractive member of the opposite sex is around. It's like we are a bunch of werewolves. And sometimes, it feels like our judgment of right and wrong go right out the window. There's a term called “situational ethics.” Ethics are simply our idea of what right and wrong are. So situational ethics is when our view of right and wrong actually change when we're in different decisions.

Divide into Small Groups:
Right now we're going to split up into our small groups and talk about this problem with situational ethics around the opposite sex. Then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we begin, let's go around the circle. Tell us your name and your favorite fast food restaurant.
2. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Have you ever been around someone who was normally confident and secure, but seemed to change personalities when a hottie came into the picture? How did he or she act?
3. ASK A FEW: Be honest–have you ever done it? (Be sure to make this lighthearted and fun, so the students don't treat it like a confession time.)
4. ASK A FEW: If you said yes, what made you act differently?

(go over the concept of “situational ethics” again here; maintaining certain standards and priorities until “something’s in it for you.”)


5. ASK A COUPLE STUDENTS WHO ANSWERED NO AND A COUPLE WHO ANSWERED YES: If you said no, what kept you from acting differently? If you said yes, what might keep you from acting differently in the future?
6. In the movie, Anna was having problems respecting her mom from the beginning; not in a big way, just several smaller instances. So it was no surprise when she quickly decided against her mom’s wishes about not riding the motorcycle. She was in the habit of rebelling and showing a lack of discretion, so it came natural when an opportunity arrived.

   ASK A FEW: What are ways that we show a lack of wisdom in little daily decisions that might affect big decisions later? (especially if a hottie is involved!)


Let’s look up a couple of scriptures that may help us when we’re tempted to be something we’re not next time the hotties float by. The Scriptures use the word “discretion” a couple times. This means simply wisdom in making decisions. Keep that in mind when we read these verses:

Proverbs 2:11 “Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”

Proverbs 11:22 “Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.”

7. ASK A FEW: What ways can we show discretion when we're tempted to compromise a little?

WRAP UP (and closing activity):
I really want to encourage you to make a commitment to guard your heart as well as your actions around the opposite sex. Let’s pray that God will help us to be secure and be true to Him and to ourselves, no matter who’s around. Now we're going to pass out paper & pens. On this slip of paper, you can write down a first name only, initials only, or a little picture that represents someone or a certain group. But I want you to write down a few thoughts . . .

SUGGESTED HAND-OUT:
Pre-typed/copied slips of paper with the following:

1. I'm tempted to be indiscreet in the way I talk or act (i.e. act like something I'm not) when___________________________ .

To keep from giving in to that I plan to: ____________________________________________________________________ .

2. Finish this statement: “I promise myself that I will be myself when _____________ comes around.”

Proverbs 2:11 “Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.”

Allow the students time to write, and close the evening with a prayer.

By Danette Matty