As I have been short on hours at work, I've been spending more time chasing the younglings around the house (because they never stay on one side). Thus, I've been lagging on my visitation of other blogs, and have barely been posting my wisdom and light here. Today is no exception.
But as my youngest finally got on the potty training kick this week (no more buying diapers and wiping shit! Yay!!!), I figgered I'd celebrate by relating this event to politics (and this is the last shit reference, thankfully). The road to get to the point of pull-ups and pretty little girl panties has been long. But it all revolves around being a "big girl" (or big boy). In other words, it's a personal responsibility issue.
It's a concept that I've been working on with both of them. They're now responsible for going to the restroom, changing clothes, washing themselves, carrying their own things, feeding themselves, operating the computer, etc. And so it will go as they get older and can reliably shoulder more burden.
It's something we all have had to do as we became adults, and had to manage our own affairs. And we found that, in addition to taking care of the forthcoming kids, we also had to take care of grandparents and parents as they were no longer able to do so. And we also found that some people were either incapable or plainly foolish (I fit into the latter), and needed to be helped even after they should have been fully responsible for their own lives.
But back to my own brood, I figure that giving them the ability and desire to live a life as free and independent as possible is the greatest gift i can give them (until they get all material and want brand new computers and ponies, and shit).
5 comments:
Good luck with your kids turning out the way you raised them. My oldest is a good Liberal. The other two are , gag! Conservatives. Ach. Toohey!
Yeah, my kids turned out to be a mixed bag too, but since my goal was to raise them to be independent, self-reliant men, I would have been sorely disappointed if they had all turned out exactly how I thought they should.
The one plus is it makes for spirited after dinner debates when we all manage to get together, especially if my Dad, the staunch conservative, is present!
LOL...awwww! Poor truth! Conservatives, what is the world coming to?
Congrats on the potty training! And that last paragraph, nicely put!!
I was never asked for a pony thank goodness. A computer was bad enough!!
101: That just means 2 out of 3 aren't deluded.
Rocky: I expect my kids to be independent as well. As long as they succeed in their goals they could be like 101 and I'd be happy.
Jenn: A computer's bad enough? I've had my kids on computers since before they were potty trained. Of course, I do tend to have more than one lying about. I do make them share it, though.
If your kids grow up to be like me it means you did a good job Patrick. I hope my son decides to be like you Brother. His hero is James B. Webb of Brain Rage. My boy wants to get an anthropolgy degree so he can sit on his ass blogging and drinking wine all day like JBW..
Come to think of it, I want to be like that guy also.
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