Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Matauri
My gawd Dave....I thought I was listening to one of my sisters then! LOL , reminded me of dinners there! (obviously I don't go often!) :-)
|
I thought I was listening to Wen there for a moment!
Although I agree with your superior psychological intellect on such matters to a point Dave, one might interject that although we love Fred and Eleanor's company, maybe we want our children to grow up a bit more refined than Fred and Eleanor!
Likewise it is commonly known that children bring this wrath upon themselves. I mean, I'm pretty laid back when it comes to raising kids, I don't ask for much out of them, let them butt their heads against the wall and learn their own lessons in most respects, all I ask is that they "respect public space" in the home,
(i.e. don't drop your goodies just where ever the .... you please in passing, put them away so that someone else does not have too), eat what those who have slaved over the stove have prepared for you,
(i.e. don't whine "I don't like that!" And, expect a special meal prepared for your little bony ass), and don't lip off to those that support you out of the kindness of their heart,
(since I have no fiduciary obligation to my significant other's children, who's father refuses to support them!)
And, I still get....
"I don't like spaghetti! I'm not going to eat that."
"Why?"
"Because it has tomatoes in it."
"It has Tomatoe Sauce in it."
"So"
"You eat Ketchup don't you?"
"Yes."
"You eat Pizza don't you?"
"Yes."
"You eat Lasagna don't you?"
"Yes"
"Same damn thing!"
"No it's not!"
"Yes it is."
"NO IT'S NOT!"
"Eat peanut butter and jelly then. I don't care."
"Mom..... He's picking on me again!"
Why does this child insist I'm picking on her, when she demands that I prepare a special meal, just for her, because she has some mental twist that tells her Sphagetti is not acceptable fare, when Lasagna is, and they contain for the most part, identical ingredients. "This is not McDonald's," I tell her. "Either you eat what everyone else eats, or you're on your own. I was taught to eat what was set before me out of sheer respect for the effort put forth by my mother in preparing such. Either that or you went hungry, you weren't even offered peanut butter and jelly. And, I'm not cooking anything else!"
Likewise there is the incessant questioning of everything without cause or reason. Recently driving down the road there was a rather large cloud of smoke in the distance; quite obviously several acres of dense foilage being burned to clear it; smoke rising several thousand feet in the air, and trailing off for miles. Totally ignoring the obvious, we get the question from the back seat...
"Is that a fire?"
In attempt to levitate this question beyond the point of implying sheer ignorance, I suggested in reply....
"No Chelsea, it is a large group of children running around with lots of them little smoke bombs that were left over from the Fourth of July celebration! Either that, or someone's grilling lots of chicken over there! Of course, it's a fire!"
"Would you stop! Mom.... he's picking on me! He always treats me like I'm stupid."
At which mom blows up about the incessant bickering between the child and I.
So should I say instead, "Do you realize how damned stupid that question was, Child?", so that I am not picking on her, when she asks such ridiculous questions? Because if Fred were to ask such a question, I would most certainly ask him that, and without fear of hurting his delicate little feelings too!
She's blonde, I'm trying to make her grow out of that, before she becomes stereotypically blonde!
(And, starts talking to Jello and such.) Unfortunately I hold very little hope of succeeding at this task. My only salvation at this point is, and I keep reminding her... One day she will have children of her own, they will very likely call me Grandpa, and I will effect my retribution upon her when that time arrives!
The other child is a charm, he's borderline of the teenage stage, but he's probably more laid back than I, and spends most of his time glued to a cartoon, a computer monitor, or a good book. Although 2 years younger than his sister, he is much more intelligent. He does not ask the obvious, he generally eats what's set before him, and he learned in the first few rounds of testing the limits with his sister, to put his goodies where they belong, and to respect public domain!
Although they were sired by two different fathers, they were raised by the same mother. Why so much difference Doc? What makes one such a pain in the keester, while the other is such a joy.
The most annoying thing about the second child is, he turns the TV off every time he leaves the room! It makes no difference if you're watching from the other room or not. LOL
Not to put you on the spot here or anything, how would you suggest handling a child that insists upon testing the waters incessantly, refuses to listen, and tries to ply themselves between the parents?
Rocky