thoughts for life...

[Kilted Arab]

This is fairly old, but seems to be doing the rounds again...some of it you may agree with, some you may not. But I like it and, while sitting in Abu Dhabi airport lounge, I thought I'd share it...


We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.
For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

* I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice
cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.
* I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by
being cheated.
* I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

* And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.
* It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old
dog put to sleep.
* I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
* I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.
* When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.
* I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

* On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.
* If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead
of buying one.
* I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.
* When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.
* I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.
* May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

* I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.
* I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.
* May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.
* I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your
neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas
time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.
* These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

[Bravo]

Last year, my 14 yo was trying out for the 'dance team'. She was practicing 15 hours a week at night at the dance studio. We were constantly driving her back and forth. We hated it.

This year - I said No. You are going to be home at night, every night. We'll have dinner together and you can do your homework. No TV or Internet during the weekdays. Come home and study and go to bed.

It is soooo much better - so much more peaceful - and She Likes it better too...time for her to just unwind.

Tomorrow morning, I am going to cut up the trees that came down in the storm. Gonna crank up the new chainsaw and I have committed her to helping me. I will cut, she will drag the smaller branches out to the curb. She babysits her younger sister tomorrow night while the wife and I go out to eat.

And we are teaching the little one to clean bathrooms and she likes it. She took great pride in cleaning the sinks, toilets and showers last night. I guess she has seen her parents do it so much that she wanted to be like us...wow they looked so good this morning. Shining.

We are simplifying and I am really enjoying it.

Our lives are so complicated now...

[Kilted Arab]

We are simplifying and I am really enjoying it.

Our lives are so complicated now...

True words, Bravo...given me an idea for a thread!

[The master]

This year - I said No. You are going to be home at night, every night. We'll have dinner together and you can do your homework. No TV or Internet during the weekdays. Come home and study and go to bed.

Do you not think this is a bit harsh not that I'm telling you how to be aprent, as a young adult myself I feel that I have to have some sort of lesiure time during the week and just relax your rescheme just sounds a little streesfull.

[Kilted Arab]

Do you not think this is a bit harsh not that I'm telling you how to be aprent, as a young adult myself I feel that I have to have some sort of lesiure time during the week and just relax your rescheme just sounds a little streesfull.

Maybe on the harsh side, but Bravo's daughter can probably spell and punctuate..!

[The master]

As far as i'm aware, I got a A in my English G.C.S.E and a B in English lit, and i'm now studing English language for A level. So my Enlgish musn't be that bad.

But yes my typing skills need to improve, I need to check over before hitting the reply button.

[Big Brother Dunk]

There's wisdom in your post.

[SilverUberXeno]

I agree with all of that stuff, or what it means, generally. Even if you CAN hand your children anything they want, you shouldn't. If they want a car, they should be saving money for it. Kids that don't have anything they don't like in their lives just never grow up.

I don't mean make them live in the yard, but be reasonable. Sort of like.. instead of giving a poor man a fish, teach him how to fish.

He'd never remember that single fish you gave him, but he'd remember you teaching him, because he'll use it every day. Sort of.

Also: Don't let your kids beat you at games unless they deserve to. When I have a kid, and he decides to try me at ping-pong, he'll have another thing coming.

[wirehair]

As far as i'm aware, I got a A in my English G.C.S.E and a B in English lit, and i'm now studing English language for A level. So my Enlgish musn't be that bad.

Sorry TM, there used to be a connection between knowledge and grades, but that time has passed.

I'm not raggin' on you, I've read some good ideas and comments from you, so I know you're not a dummy. The thing is though, your unwillingness/inability to spell correctly or use proper grammer while you continue to make A's & B's ought to prove my point.

[longiron]

Sorry TM, there used to be a connection between knowledge and grades, but that time has passed.

I'm not raggin' on you, I've read some good ideas and comments from you, so I know you're not a dummy. The thing is though, your unwillingness/inability to spell correctly or use proper grammer while you continue to make A's & B's ought to prove my point.

Ok im going to jump in at this point. First Killted great post i feel the same way about my kids. My oldest just turned 9 this past week. Second im just a dumb ass ironworker who cant spell and cant always find the right key on the keyboard but i feel i have some knowledge to give even given those things.Sometimes when i type my brain outruns my fingers and i hit the wrong letters. So dont think less of a person just because of some poor grammer in a post.

[Kilted Arab]

Sorry TM, there used to be a connection between knowledge and grades, but that time has passed.

I'm not raggin' on you, I've read some good ideas and comments from you, so I know you're not a dummy. The thing is though, your unwillingness/inability to spell correctly or use proper grammer while you continue to make A's & B's ought to prove my point.

"grammar"!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

[wirehair]

Grammar - Yeah

You got me wrong - I'm impressed with TM. He's a 16-17 YO who has the smarts & spine to hold his own with the best/worst of us.

Problem - (Again TM is an example - not a rip on him personally) - He, like a lot, don't get what we older guys got. TM insists that he has proper writing/spelling/grammar skills and offers proof that he has the "grades" to prove it.

Grades don't equal learning. TM (here again an innocent example - he's like a lot of other young people) doesn't understand that a problem exists. He insists that his English skills are good, and offers A's & B's as proof.

It took several months to realize that TM wasn't an idiot! If he had written his first post (on GR) properly, or at least realized that he has poor communication skills, life would be much beasier for him.