Adventures in fatherhood.
Background information: The wife and I try teaching our kids to NOT take the Lord's name in vain. Nope, we're not perfect but we're trying to have our children get off to a better start than our own. Now we return to our regularly scheduled program:
My three kids have taken up Tae Kwan Doe, the boys for the discipline, balance & coordination and their sister ultimately to learn how to kick some guy's butt when he doesn't believe the word "No!".
So today as we, the other students & parents wait in a postage stamp sized foyer for the class to start, the instructor's wife puts in a video of a competition. Nothing special, just a bunch of guys busting bricks stacked 15 high with their bare hands. I'd feel comfortable fighting any one of them as long as I had a flame thrower, brace of .45 caliber pistols and a full suit of armor.
One of the other boys exclaims "Oh my God!" after one noteworthy exhibition. My youngest son, 6 yrs. old, spins around and says, "What did you say?"
The boy repeats himself and my Torquemada-in-training emphatically states, "You can't say that! You can say "Oh my goodness" but not that!"
The boys mother tries distracting her kid, kinda hard to do while laughing her head off.
I tell mine to shush while wondering how to handle this one? If I say that we don't correct other people for their faults, he'll think only he and his siblings are fair game. If I explain to the mom that we don't condone that language in our home I'll be dealing with a pissed off adult thinking I'm trying to raise her kids for her.
So I just shut my mouth while distracting my boy.
I'm still looking for that handbook on how to raise the perfect child. I'm sure you know the one I'm talking about, they supposedly give it out with each newborn babe. We misplaced all three of our books.
4 comments:
I have to chuckle ... and give you props for trying to moderate the lad's language. Thank goodness it appeared the other boy's mom was good humored about it. But I got nothin' as far as the handbook, as I've no children of my own. Consensus seems to be you do the best you can, pray you don't screw it up royally, and leave the rest to God.
When St. John Bosco went to the city for high school, his mom taught him to group his peers as those who are good, those who can be converted and those who are incorrigible. The 1st group, he was to befriend. The 2nd, try to convert. The 3rd, avoid.
Might not square on all fours but I hope that helps.
Anthony, anyone who thinks parenthood is a walk in the park should try it some time. The consensus you cite is dead on the money!
Rick, it helps. It certainly does help. Now all I have to do is get my slightly autistic sons to grasp what I'm saying. THAT can be a challenge!
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