Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Where have all the powers gone?

You say you're unhappy, you blame it on me?
I can't make you happy, you never listen to me.

My name is Rehctaw and I am a PARENT.

I know about as much about parenting as I do about particle physics. Which amounts to knowing how to correctly spell them. Parenting isn't rocket science. By comparison it is much harder, much more unpredictable, because it is not subject to immutable laws. Constants? Sure, but mostly consisting of an extra chainsaw to juggle, IED's to avoid, rumble strips to warn of impending doom...
AND TOLLBOOTHS.

Properly equipped parents come standard with a elaborate array of sensors, gauges, on-board diagnostics, gps, power-assists, road-hugging suspension, responsive accelerator and sure-footed braking. They may look like beaters, but they are well-oiled machines that remain roadworthy despite years of neglect and abuse.

The parental Muses are a mixed, but relatively balanced, bag. Confidence offset by uncertainty. Competence tethered to confusion. Joy unbridled, but attenuated by life's grindstone. Pride tempered by disappointment. Chores, never-ending, eased by Rewards beyond expectations. Luck, to remind that is comes in two kinds. The list goes onandon.

If you are reading this and you: are a parent, have a parent or aspire to parenthood, your inner parent is doing a cartwheel right now. You are thinking that it's about time somebody noticed and made a fuss over you.

THWACK!

Get over yourself.

You're still on the job. Your talents are about to be challenged again. Focus.

Undoubtedly, at the ready, you have two weapons that need to be deployed with speed and purpose. The first is your bullshit detector. You well know that "I will" trips the detector's sensor. "Later" is a pure fiction and "Right after..." is a diversion.

For the purpose of this exercise, you have three children. All three want something. All three need your support and a signed permission slip to get what they want, but you can only accommodate one. They've pled their case, now it's up to you. Filter the information. Use your considerable talents and skills to decide which case offers the best outcome. Forget what their friends say, ignore the whining, tantrums and diversions, trust your judgment. Review the available evidence. Child A Child B Child C

Run all three proposals through the detector and choose.

Oh yeah, I did say two weapons...

The other is NO! Unequivocal, discussion ending, the final answer. Deploy this weapon liberally, omni-directionally wherever your bullshit detector points. Use it locally, regionally, nationally and globally. Withdraw your tacit support and replace it with your parental veto powers.

Now leave my virtual world and make it so.

5 comments:

Fran / Blue Gal said...

well. And I didn't think this was a political post until I checked the links.

You rock.

Anonymous said...

I got my NO! richeer, hoss.

No to McShame, No to Shilary.

I don't have kids, I REMEMBER the damage me and my siblings did to my folks and it was ir-repairable.

Not the mention the damage we did and do to each other now the parents are gone.

They were the BEST parents they could be, too. I was lucky. We were all lucky.

No abuse, no neglect, and as good as we could get from them with what a one income dad and a stay at home mom could provide beyond shelter, food and 'stuff'.

I now try to be a good parent to those who rep for the 23% (or 1%), but it's HARD, dammit!!!

But just shrieking NO!!!! over and over is as good as the crap THEY foist on us.

Damn kids. They just ain't right in the head.

But it's still NO!! dammit, every time.

Nice analogy, hoss. Keep bringing it. *G*

Rehctaw said...

An apt analogy. A crop of petulant children behaving badly need to know we aren't stupid. We wuv them, but if they don't get their shit together, there will be escalating consequences. Without us, they have no power. If we use a little of our potential energy, we might restore a semblance of balance and actually accomplish great things.

Thanks for coming by and the encouraging words.

I'll track your ass down yet. Why no redirect from your profile?
Am I missing something?

Anonymous said...

Who you tawkin to Willis?

I'm ASSUMIN it's The Honorable Blue Gal.

If it's me, what do you need? An email addy?

I got no sites . . . I don't need no sites. I don't got to show you no . . . ok ok, done to death.

I got all the sites I need, and yer in my 5. *G*

As is The Blue One.

And Drifty.

And that whackaloon PhysioProf.

A few others.

Sure is fun reading you folks.

Here comes the guilt trip for you hoss, and the others, too.

Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me from fuckin screaming out loud and goin bonkers.

As stacked as the deck is against us all, YOU people even the hand nicely. *G* So, like. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Danged afterthoughts, wisht I had said that THEN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cYdH46HqpE

*G*