Tuesday, May 31, 2011

158 Days

Perhaps it was unwise to put a counter up, given that I feel a surge of anger when I see it… 
Kid 3 came and went without discussion or papers; and this only served to annoy me all the more.  First, its winter; its damned cold – but the Harridan sends him off without a change of clothes or a coat.  I guess it’s too much to ask that the kid have additional jocks so he can actually shower…
The Squeeze gave him a pair of his jeans to wear; it was a pair that no longer seemed to fit around his girth.  Although he is now down a pair of jeans, at least he didn’t have to hand over money to buy the very thing he is paying maintenance for. 
He has asked me several times if I am shrinking his clothes.  I’m not.  But we are both expanding.  The other morning while driving to work I had a flash of us getting ready that morning and I realised that we looked like a pair of gingerbread men – with currants for eyes in our doughy white faces.  But I regress…
Of course he did buy a specific calculator for school that the kid said he ‘had to have’ and I could immediately see that will be her future ploy.  One I hope the Squeeze will curtail quick smart.
The most difficult part of having kids which are not mine around me; is not being able to say exactly what I think, when I think it.  We have very different views on parenting.  If the squeeze and I are black and grey; then the Harridan and I are black and flaming red.  In a nut shell, I believe in discipline.  I’ve never believed in “there are no losers”.  What a lot of nonsense.
In fact I kind of liked some speech Bill Gates gave at some college (which could quite possibly be an urban myth) that basically said:  The world won't care about your self-esteem.  The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Spot on.  Sorry, but let’s not tell kids they’re great when they aren’t.  Let’s not push kids down a path wrong for them; and then have a hissy fit because the rest of humanity sees ‘reality!’  The rest of the world is not blinded by your hippy glasses!  If the kid doesn’t get enough time on stage that is generally because your kid moves like a robot, looks uncomfortable and totally out of place against all those kids that actually love what they are doing as they sing and dance their way across the stage!
As far as I can tell, kid gloves and rose coloured glasses means you are basically breeding kids that will never cope with failure.  They miss out on the ‘suck it up’ gene.  Not everyone can be a ‘sensitive’ artist or musician; and when I think about it, why the hell would you want one?  Hard to break into (combined with an inability to suck it up…)  And not great in financial security; at least not unless you hit the big time.
I’ve gone off on a tangent again...
My point is that I don’t want to pounce on the kid nonstop for what I consider are bad manners.  Sorry, but if I am watching something on the television and leave the room for a second, do not pick up the remote and switch channels to start watching something else.  If we say “dinner is on the table”; don’t ignore us until the show you are watching is over; because if you come to eat after we have done the dishes, cleaned up and sat down – then you need to do your own damned dishes; don’t expect me to wait on you.
And my number one pet hate – don’t become an extension of the damned television! Or one day you’ll wake up with a remote stuck to your hand!  You have to push kids to get out there and live life.  Growing up with over protective, helicopter, velvet wearing parents creates socially inept young adults.  Not that it bothers me – ain’t my kid!
Tonight; the Squeeze is off to watch kid 3 at the debating club.  Not my cup of tea, but hey, gives me a night off to do girl stuff!  Will he come home with divorce papers?
Not a snowballs chance in Hell.

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Thanks. Better check it out but it should be up today!