Category Archives: kids

Infinite liability for parents?

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By making a conscious decision to leave your child in the car, even to pay for gas, you are putting your child in harm’s way. Car thieves and child abductors lurk; your child could unbuckle them self and get caught in the power window or move to the front and put the car into gear.

via What Could Happen to Your Kid in the Car While You Pay For Gas? « FreeRangeKids.

In Oklahoma one was not permitted to take one’s child into a liquor store–and these were the only places where the wise and judicious legislators of Oklahoma would permit residents to purchase wine. Jennifer and I found it convenient that most of these stores were small storefronts with big windows so we could park and get in and get back while keeping an eye on our (then much younger) kiddos.

Anyway, looking at this hysterical response, I have to ask: Do real parents believe this stuff?

My inclination is to assume this comes from people without children and the fact that it is taken seriously is a reflex of the fact that legislative interns and many lobbyists are young unmarrieds. What do you think?

(Of course, the other factor is that the P-Class [Political/Predator/Parasite] is populated by people who delegate their children to servants and have no idea what real responsibility even smells like among the hoypolloy.)

The day I missed so far…

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First day of school began with me still in Louisiana. I had a pulpit supply job and then the plane was late so that I had to stay overnight. Got up at 4:15 am this morning to various conflicting reports as to whether my flight was cancelled and when I needed to be at the airport.

I’m here now but have a bunch to do and two hours of prep tonight for my online job, so I am not sure how much the kids will see of me. And then tomorrow I may end up working a full day at my new part-time job to make up for the hours I missed today.

Happily, Jennifer produced some photopraphic evidence. Here’s one from my youngest’s first day with her siblings.

Charis on her first day of school

You can read more about their first day at Jennifer’s blog.

I’m really happy to be getting some new opportunities (that I hope in turn will lead even to better opportunities), but I have a lot of balls in the air right now.  Not least I have five people I don’t want to become strangers’ to even while I endeavor to get requisite shelter, clothing, and transportation needs met.

So it has come to this

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Calvin shooting 004The kids are out of school and I need to do some work.  Jennifer does her usual helpful thing and volunteers to take all four of ours, plus one guest, to the St. Louis Science Center.  Everything is great.

Then, as everyone is bustling around, I notice again something that bothered me last night–that when I’m leaning against the kitchen counter that I lose so much height that I am looking up at Calvin’s face when he is walking by.

I couldn’t leave it alone.  I stopped Calvin and stood up to reassure myself.  And I’m pretty sure I was still looking up!  My just-turned twelve-year-old is as tall or taller than me.

And only two months ago I posted this.

Two kitchen workers

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014

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originally uploaded by markhorne.

Why am I blogging this? No reason whatever. I just want to.

It is odd that kids always love playing at what we later decide is drudgery and hard labor. My boys used to think using the broom was the most fantastic privilege on earth–until they were tall enough to be useful.

Of course, hypocritically, I muse about this but never think twice about my present attitude toward chores.

That’s the way of it. The young dream of growing up and gaining real responsibility and the old want childish escape from it.

But at least the young look cute.

So while I’m eating my pancakes

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Charis is crazy!Charis is singing to her brothers’ matchbox cars a medley of stuff about learning shapes and colors, loving one another being very important, and other stuff, with the la la las of the “Deck the Halls” carol adapted for filler.

And I turn to Jennifer and say wistfully, “It won’t be too long before she’ll stop doing that.”

Pause.

Then: “At least I hope not.”