...Provoke Not Your Children

I'm not a parent. It's on my to-do list. But, in real life, having something on your to-do list doesn't make you an expert, anymore than having an idea about something neat, makes you an inventor. 

That being said, I'm an analyst. I've always been a casual analyst. I dissected most of my actions and interactions at different points in my life. And, I have a few words for parents. I'm not going to give them to you all at once, so today's is: Listen!

My parents did an excellent job on the kids in our family (the four biological ones, and the endless stream of other kids who drifted in and out of our home). They were disciplinarians, but their rules (usually) had a sound internal logic. And they were always tempered with love. 

But, when it came to small things, they didn't always do a great job of listening. 

I tended to do what was expected of me, even as a young child. One day, however, I had committed some offense, for which I was both punished and ashamed. I accepted my punishment, in its justice, and had moved to the differential state of repentance.

The shameful nature of my infraction was still of some humor to my mother. When she decided to share my misdeed with some friend with whom she spoke on the phone. I listened on in horror as she began to tell my story. I loudly, and urgently protested this sharing; which only made the story she was telling funnier to her. So, she told the story. And, I had to sit there and listen. 

While I never loudly and urgently protested any topic of conversation with my parents after that, I was never completely open with them either. 

Actions have consequences. Even parental actions. 

Ephesians 6:4 Parents, do not aggravate your kids to silent, seething fury , but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Morris's Dodgy Paraphrase).

My Little Thank You

Friends and Followers,

  Thanks for your support of my unusual expression over the years. You all helped me keep writing and improving, telling stories, and having fun.

I feel like I've kinda dropped the ball on posting new material because I got a little caught up in my book, and my Kickstarter Campaign. So here's an uplifting piece just for you my blog friends.

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In a world that shares stories of the low expectations for children with no intellectual curiosity and is awash with bad examinations and false equivalencies, I'm privileged to share stories of active and involved parents, who raise fascinated, creative children. My parents set a fine example, but this evening's story is from a friend.

So, we adults went to see Thor. Later, we are sitting around the table discussing the physics of the Thor type movies, and my eight year old granddaughter interrupts and asks, "What's a singularity?" Well, Joel [the girl's father] immediately and with all seriousness begins," A singularity is when....", and I absolutely LOST IT!!! But, it turns out Joel regularly discusses the most advanced quantum theory and particle physics with the little girls, and he is as adept at explaining these mind-boggling concepts as Bill Nye is at teaching how water freezes. Anyway, we got a bit bogged down when I tried to trip Joel up with the conflicting nature of gravitational vs magnetic forces, but it was nice to see my son not JUST speaking with his children about Tinkerbell or Hello Kitty. Although they enjoy those topics just as much.

This reminds me that, for all the children left behind, there are parents taking hands and walking together with the leaders of tomorrow.

Parenting Level: Awesome!