Grumpy Old Man

Spent the day mending and fixing, nesting and visiting. One neighbor couple came this way to visit relatives. They usually leave rural Ohio and go to Quartzite, AZ. They love the desert. I enjoyed hearing about that- perhaps I might winter there sometime. They are short people so I have helped with some tall tasks.

Patsy's husband Joe has a growth on his arm which is alarming so they used the terminal to book a flight home as Canadian Insurance will pay for an emergency here but dermatology is not considered an emergency. The Rosenbergs will take him to the airport at Ft. Lauderdale on Monday.

I haven't seen much of Greg and Lew. I probably insulted Greg. I couldn't dissemble any longer. When a small child is your spawn or spawn of your spawn, there is an ego involvement that boosts tolerance. When that connection is not there, a creature that demands a soda, demands the television be turned on, the channel changed, wants to explore your home, harass your dog, and control the conversation, feels like an affliction rather than a pleasure.

Parent figures today seem to find this behavior acceptable. In my nearly 65 years on the planet, I can recall a time when parents were concerned with raising agreeable children and children were nice(r) to be around. As a former educator I saw thousands of them and know they can be that way (or not- consequences swiftly followed). Allowing or encouraging them to be the center of the universe does the world and them no favor. Childhood is a (loving) boot camp for later life. Self-restraint, nice manners, and a self concept based on earned achievement, cannot be learned too early. Adoration based on "cute" is destructive of character. "Pretty is as Pretty does." Of course, it takes effort, consistency, and the ability to withstand temporary rage to achieve this with a child. Better to establish the ground rules before they can run away with the first juvenile delinquent that expresses an interest.

There: I just gave you a "happily ever after," recipe.