Author: Gerry

Categories
Family

The Wife: 1 – The Boy: 0

Generally speaking, eating isn’t a problem for us with the kids. They more or less eat whatever we cook. That’s not to say they always like what we serve, but after a little kvetching they tend to give up, hold their nose and eat.

When they really don’t want to eat something, they have one well they like to go to- the “I’m not hungry anymore” well. They don’t realize it, but they almost always give the game away because they’ll look at their plate and then declare that they aren’t that hungry.

Such was last night’s dinner experience with the boy. The Wife wasn’t fooled though- after a day at the beach where they both spent almost the entire time in the water there was NO way he wasn’t hungry. The Wife opted to bide her time, so she bagged up the food he wouldn’t eat and waited.

We went to a fireworks display later that evening. In the bag the Wife put together, she also included the doggie bag of the boy’s leftover denner. She made sure the boy knew the food was there in case he got hungry. The fireworks were a town event and had all sorts of vendors present. Of particular importance was the ice cream vendor.

The Wife went and grabbed the lass, myself and herself some ice cream cones. At the time, the boy was quietly reading The Order of the Phoenix on our blanket. He watched the Wife hand out ice cream to everyone except him. The look on his face told the story- he’d been caught. His desire for ice cream overrode his disdain for dinner. Wordlessly, he went into the bag and pulled out his leftover dinner and finished eating it.

Then, he got his ice cream.

Categories
Family Notweet

Still No Patience

In addition to the patio stuff we’re doing in the back yard, we’ll also be getting a pool. The kids are, unsurprisingly, very excited about it.

In a perfect world, the pool would have been installed a couple of weeks ago like we were initially told. Thankfully, it is not a perfect world. The reasons are pretty simple, the unpredictable weather kept them from getting other installs done, so we got bumped back.

Try explaining that to a kid.

As I said, I was glad for the delay. It allowed me to get the pavers installed before the pool was in. Why was that a big deal? Here’s why:

Those are sitting right where the pool will be going. If the pavers couldn’t be there, then they’d be in the driveway which would have been a long walk with all of those.

Kids don’t understand that though. Rather, they only see a pile of dirt where a pool is supposed to be.

So last week, we though the pool would be installed while we were visiting family. Unfortunately, the weather once again prevented that from coming to fruition. So when we arrived home, the kids were just short of despondent. In fact, they were now convinced that the pool would never be installed.

Then, almost magically, the installers arrived this morning. The kids were now positively giddy- convinced the pool would be done today. Welcome to the bipolar nature of kids managing their expectations. The Wife ended up taking them to the local swimming hole because she didn’t want to listen to the equipment. I stayed behind to finish the paver cuts.

Suffice it to say, the pool still isn’t installed. But the site is all prepped and ready for the pool to be set on it on Monday. Arguably, they got the most important part done.

When the boy and the lass arrived home, the both came dashing out to the back with the boy declaring “I was right- they didn’t do anything while we were gone.” Even with the pretty clear evidence of the work that had been done.

There is just no satisfying their expectations.

Categories
DIY Patio

Patio Update

All of the field pieces are laid and now I only have cuts around the post piers. The field had been completed several days ago, but I only finished all the cut-in work around the stone walls today. Here’s a flavor of what I was dealing with:

Just follow along the line of the wall and around the drain to get an idea. Some of those took a lot of work to get right. When the cuts weren’t difficult, getting the piece in was because of the combination of sand and stone next to the wall that I couldn’t skreet. I had to do that part by hand, which was tedious.

I would have completed the cuts around one of the piers today, but I was going to make the final adjustments to the piece and when I set it down, the piece cracked into two pieces. I was so disgusted I decided I was done. Not the best note to end on, but I wasn’t going to spend another 30 minutes cutting the arc again.

Cutting pavers is a miserable job, especially in this kind of heat. By the end of the day, I was caked in a layer of paver dust from head to toe. Thankfully, my Dad had me a breathing mask for just this kind of work. I was also outfitted with eye guards and ear plugs, making it a thoroughly unpleasant way to spend a day.

Be that as it may, a lot of work is done and the end is in sight.

Categories
Family

The Boy Suspects

While visiting with my parents, the boy lost another tooth. Actually, it was more like he decided to pull it out than he “lost” it. Regardless, the result was the same. Namely, there’s a big gap in his mouth where a tooth used to be and he had a trade item for the Tooth Fairy.

But would the Tooth Fairy know that he’d lost his tooth if he wasn’t home?

It seemed to me that this wasn’t the first time he’d lost a tooth away from home, but I wasn’t going to go there. He did his thing wrapping the tooth up and then set it under his pillow. The Tooth Fairy delivered $5 for his tooth this time. JACKPOT!

The following day, while waiting for Grandpa in the Lowe’s parking lot, the boy asked “Dad, is the Tooth Fairy real?”

I had about a half-a-moment to decide how to play this scenario. I could exuberantly say things like “Of course!” or I could say something like “No.” I opted for door number three:

“Why do you ask?”

I figured I’d see what line of reasoning had led him to ask the question.

“Well, I think that probably you and Mom or Grandma and Grandpa just took my tooth and gave me $5. It just doesn’t seem like the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are really real. I think parents do all that stuff.”

He said all this kind of sheepishly- like he had stumbled upon a great truth that he didn’t particularly like. At that moment, he seemed like an older boy who wanted to be a little boy. He also seemed kind of hesitant in his answer, perhaps that was just his hope that there really was that kind of magic in the world.

I continued to be non-committal, “Do you really think parents would go through all that trouble? That we’d put that much work into Christmas and Easter and every time you lose a tooth?” I had a smirk on my face the whole time- couldn’t help myself. I’m not sure how he interpreted it.

He seemed to think about it a bit, and then said “I don’t know.” I waited a bit more, watching him he seemed to be trying to make a decision of some sort.

Finally, he said “Nevermind.”

And that was it.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit sad that he has figured it out, mostly. Even if he doesn’t want to completely believe it yet, he’s clearly growing up and his ability to apply logic and reason are leading him places that are probably uncomfortable for him to go. The little boy is giving way to something else. With that, some of the fun that the Wife and I had listening to them talk about magic and myth will pass.

On the other hand, I felt a sort of pride that he has started to reason it out. I don’t know if this is the normal time for kids to do so, it seems likely, but either way it was a process he’d have to undergo sooner or later. I’m sure it won’t be entirely easy for him, and when he finally makes up his mind I’m sure he’ll be disappointed.

But Mom and Dad will still be there for him, just like we always have.

Categories
DIY Notweet

Stair Handrail and Balusters

It’s interesting to me coming back to my parents place and helping out with my Dad’s improvement projects. Growing up, I helped him out with many projects from tiling floors to acoustical ceilings, from decks to planting trees he pretty much ran the gamut.

Through them all, my role was clear- I was the helper. Of course, back then that made sense because what did I know about hanging drywall or fixing a sink? Dad knew all that stuff. That or he did a great job of making everyone think he knew what he was doing.

So given that background, it’s interesting to help out now because Dad clearly views me as more of an equal in the realm of carpentry. Getting my opinion asked about what I think is the best way to proceed is a big change from the way it was.

Not that he listens to everything I say. He’s still got tons more experience with this stuff than I do, so even if I might have my way of doing it, it’s still his project and his way will still prevail if he’s so inclined. Justifiably so as well sometimes. Like with the epoxy we used today to help secure the balusters in the stairs- I didn’t think it would flow as easily as it did. That made it easier to fill the holes the balusters sit in than I thought it would be.

As for putting the handrail, newel post and balusters in, the process is basically as follows:

  1. Cut to height and install the newel post securely. There are hardware kits for that purpose, but in our case we just lagged it in from two sides. One into the stringer and the other into the steps.

  2. Cut the handrail to length. This step is complicated by the fact that the handrail has to be cut at the proper angles on each side so it fits flush against the newel post and the wall. We actually did this in 3 steps: first, cut it to a manageable length; second, lay it along the stairs and mark the angle against the wall; finally, set it against the wall and mark the cut against the newel post.

  3. Temporarily install the handrail- we just marked and drove in 3 inch wood screws into the newel post then tacked it in place against the wall.

  4. Mark the center of the baluster locations on the steps.

  5. Using a level, project the baluster centers up to the handrail.

  6. Measure the distance from the steps to the handrail. Then, add an inch or so for the portion of the baluster that will sit up in the handrail and another inch for the portion that will sit down into the tread.

  7. Now cut all of the balusters to length. Make sure to mark them all so it’s clear where they will go in the final assembly.

  8. Tape off the treads where the holes will be drilled for the balusters and tape off the bottom portion of the hand rail. The tape will make the cleanup from the epoxy and construction adhesive a lot easier. Also, tape off the portion of balusters that’s just below where they will insert into the handrail.

  9. Mark the angle the balusters enter the handrail or use a bevel gauge to coy the angle. Then, remove the handrail and drill the holes for the balusters. Make the holes a little deeper than necessary and about 1/4″ bigger in diameter than the balusters are. For instance, if the balusters are 1/2″ then drill 3/4″ holes.

  10. Now, where the balusters will enter the treads, mark the profile of the foot. Then, inside that profile, drill two smaller holes and a slight angle towards the center. These holes will be used to pour epoxy into, so something in the 1/4″ range should suffice. Just make sure they are well withing the boundary of the baluster foot.

  11. Now, drill the main hole the balusters will go into. Again, add 1/4″ to the baluster diameter for the hole size.

  12. Insert the balusters into the holes in the treads. Make sure all the feet and caps are placed on the balusters.

  13. Fill the baluster holes in the handrail with contractor’s adhesive, then install the handrail, including permanently attaching it to the wall. As this step is done, insert the balusters into the holes in the handrail.

  14. Lift the balusters up as high as they can into the handrail hole. Use a spring clamp attached at the bottom of the baluster on the stair tread to hold it in place. Mix some of the epoxy up and then pour it into the tread hole using the two smaller holes as an aid to fill it. Allow the epoxy to set before removing the spring clamp. Repeat this for each of the balusters.

  15. Remove the tape from the treads and the handrails, then set all of the feet and the caps (if used) using the set screws.

There are a ton of details that I haven’t gone into hear. In particular, the angles for cutting the handrail can be tricky to figure out. A not complete list of tools and materials needed for the job is a drill, spade bits and various sizes of drill bits, a screwdriver, a miter saw, a chop saw or a hacksaw, epoxy, construction adhesive, a putty knife, some paper cups, some masking tape, a level, a square, and a tape measure. I’m almost certainly missing something as well.

It took us an afternoon and a day to get the job done. Mostly, because of multiple trips to the hardware store for various items we realized we didn’t have like lags, screws and other miscellaneous tools. That’s what happens when you don’t truly know exactly what you’re doing. But we got it done, and it’s even pretty sturdy. All that’s left are the finishing touches like plugging holes and sanding and finishing the wood.

One more father-son project completed.

Categories
Misc

Feeling Good

While I largely believe age is more in the head than anything, I also have a realistic view that I’m not as young as I once was and that comes at a cost. Lately, between my landscaping exploits over the course of the past month and twice-a-week martial arts lessons, I’ve basically come to expect to be sore and tired. So when I woke up this morning, imagine the pleasant surprise when I got up and was ache-and-pain free.

It’s almost certainly not a coincidence that this happened during a few days of vacation down at my parents place. I haven’t touched a shovel or paver in almost 3 days now and probably haven’t lifted anything much heavier than a grande cup of coffee. The signs of recovery are noticeable.

It’s also encouraging that it occurred over such a short period of time. As I noted, it’s only been a few days of basic inactivity. While it’s not about to become the new normal, it does serve as a reminder of the importance of taking time to recover from a long period of strenuous activity. In fact, a period of recovery should almost certainly be a part of any exercise regimen. I’ll have to keep that in mind for the future.

Categories
Computers Notweet

A Call to Arms…

Well, perhaps a call to fingers. A case for buying Unicomp keyboards, one of the last of the mechanical-switch variety keyboards.

Categories
Family Notweet

The Kids Can be Good

One aspect of the progress I’ve made with the patio over the past couple of days actually has nothing to do with the project directly. And yet, without it, I could never have been so productive. The kids behavior has been exceptional.

Starting Tuesday morning, I worked straight through the day. Today, I went to my martial arts class and when I got home, worked straight through until it was time to get ready for the boy’s class. So we’re talking hours of time where the kids had little to no supervision, or refereeing.

During that time, they took time to get me water, since the past couple of days have been so hot. They also made themselves their own lunch, and also took the time to make me a lunch yesterday. They also helped prepare dinner last night, taking the food out of the freezer and doing the initial food prep. They’ve also aided in some quick grocery store trips, and trip to the pet store for dog food, emptied the dishwasher and put away their laundry.

Most importantly, they haven’t been fighting at all so I haven’t had to resolve any conflicts in a fatigued state. That rarely works well for them.

I don’t say any of this to brag, as I’m sure that in another day or two they’ll revert to their mean. But they’ve shown what they are capable of over the past couple of days. And that’s been encouraging.

Categories
DIY Patio

1 Day of Pavers

I’m pretty beat, so I’ll save any technical explanations for another day. Here’s a shot of the progress I made laying pavers all day. In the heat, which felt worse than yesterday, remarkably.

I’ve got shots of the individual pavers as well as the clover leaf pattern used to lay them down. Like I hinted earlier, for another day.

Categories
Family Notweet

A Quiet First Day

In many respects, today was like any other Monday. I had my martial arts class, I went to the grocery store, I did some chore around the house. Oh, and I sweated a lot because it was so ridiculously oppressive weather wise- not that that’s normal for a Monday. I just felt like complaining about it. The Wife left for a couple day business trip as well.

The main difference was I had the two shadows today.

I don’t think weekend really count in the whole Summer vacation thing, since they get every other weekend off during the year as well. Thus, today was the kid’s official first day of vacation.

It ended up being a pretty quiet affair. I let them watch some extra TV today since I figure a few days to decompress from the year is fair game. They’ve started watching back shows of Mythbusters on Netflix. This morning, they watched one of my favorites: the one where they blow up a cement truck. It was just as awesome now as it was the first time I saw it. The kids loved it too.

The day itself went pretty smoothly, with a minor hiccup in around lunch time where they got sick of each other. I broke them apart and had the lass doing some of her Summer work prep for 2nd grade and had the boy start reading The Magician’s Nephew. They spent about 45 minutes each on their work and then we got a surprise phone call.

The relevant background is simple- I was supposed to have pavers delivered here today. This morning, I got a call stating that they wouldn’t be arriving today. I was mostly OK with that, but then decided it better to say something to make sure that I didn’t continue to get bumped, so I contacted the rep I’ve been working with and he agreed. So to this point, I was expecting the pavers sometime tomorrow.

The phone call I got was from the rep telling me the pavers would be arriving in about 45 minutes. I was excited because now I wouldn’t have to worry about waiting tomorrow. The kids were excited because, well, something different. They had questions about the pavers- what the looked like, how heavy they were, how they went together and now they’d finally get a chance to see them up close an personal.

So that set off a flurry of activity as I shuffled some things around in the back and generally prepped to have the pavers on hand. The kids … got into their bathing suits and played with a hose. They were soaked from the hose. I was soaked from sweating and simply moving around.

After the pavers arrived, it was time for some dinner. We went with the old Summer favorite, hamburgers. Yum. The lass tried to weasel an ice cream promise out of me. I looked at her funny, asked “When did I say anything about ice cream?” at which point she gave me a goofy smile and shrugged her shoulders. She tried, but I wasn’t playing.

Our evening wrapped up with the boy’s martial arts class, a trip to the grocery store and a trip to Lowe’s to pick up a diamond blade for cutting the pavers. We finally settled down for the evening with more Mythbusters. We watched Adam and Jamie blow things up while some mild thunderstorms rolled through. The kids finally went to sleep in the basement, where it’s much cooler than their rooms. I’ll be sleeping in A/C tonight.

Not a bad day for starting the Summer vacation- no big fights, no major disciplinary actions, no real stress from the kids. But then, it’s only the first day.

Categories
Admin

Crappy Weather

Ugh.

I’m sweating just walking around the yard.  Enough already.  I’m ready for Fall now.

Categories
Family

What to Do?

The Wife and I are sitting here, enjoying the quiet with the kids in bed, when she asked me “What are you going to do this week?” With school done for the Summer, I realized, she’s right.

I have no Cub Scout planning meetings or Den meetings. I have no softball games. I have no softball games to coach. There are no after-school activities to deal with or plan for or around. The lass’ dance classes are all done. There is no other sport league they’re involved in.

All I’ve got this week are pavers and martial arts. Well, and grocery shopping. And laundry. And dishes. And mowing the lawn. And dinner. And lunch. And the kids.

That’ll be enough.

Categories
DIY Patio

Waiting for Pavers

Almost all of the prep work is complete. All that’s left is the layer of sand that the pavers will rest on. That’s arriving today thank to our paver rep pulling some strings for me. The pavers arrive Monday- not sure when. This is the first picture where I think there is a feel of what it’s going to look like when the project is completed.

I noted before that actually building the walls took less time than all of the prep work. That’s going to hold true for the pavers as well- but even more extreme I think. Unlike the stone for the walls, the pavers are made to go together a certain way, so I’ll just set them and go. There will be details of course, but they’ll get taken care in due time. The majority of the pavers will be done within a day I’m willing to bet.

Categories
Family

The Lass’ Author’s Night

The following is a book the lass wrote for Author’s Night, a class activity where all the kids read a story they created. The kids have been keeping a writing journal for the year and were asked to pick one of the stories they wrote to work on it for Author’s Night. The final product was a book. I have transcribed the book exactly as it was written. The horizontal rules indicate page breaks in the source material. There is also artwork in the book, perhaps I’ll get that up at a later point.

My Cat, DC

My cat is the funniest in my house.

He eats dry food. My cat’s name is DC.

I like to pick him up. I like my cat because my cat is special to me.

I like to pet my cat. I like to cuddle with my cat. I like to play with my cat.

My cat is a sleepy head. My cat sleeps all day and stays awake all night.

He likes Fancy Feast that is his most favorite food.

My dog chases my cat. The cat runs up stairs into my mom’s and dad’s bedroom. My dad yells at my dog.

My cat’s favorite spot is on my mom.

My cat is fat. He drinks his water, he does not drink milk.

My cat stayed away for five days. My mom looked for him. When we found him, he was on the porch.

I have fun with my cat. Sometimes he hisses at me and sometimes he scratches me.

DC is silly, he rolls around. I can’t rub his belly because he will scratch me or hiss at me. I don’t like it when he scratches me or hisses at me.

When me and my brother and my mom and dad go away, DC is good. When we go away we have to keep my cat inside.

Once, he took over my pillow.

My cat is as soft as a dog’s ear. I love DC a lot.

He is so cute. When he rolls on his back he is even cuter.

My cat won’t run away from my family unless my dog chases him away. I am going to love him forever.

The End

Categories
Family

Punch Buggy!

At this point, I can’t remember how exactly the kids became aware of the Punch Buggy game. The Wife or I might have mentioned it at one point. Just as likely, the learned it from a friend. Either way, the game has caught on with the two of them and the Wife and I have had to dust off our old Punch Buggy spotting skills.

Because of the updated cars, we’ve made some simple modifications to the game. Original VW Beetles are worth twice the normal amount and are called “classics.” So the original convertibles are worth 4 points while the original Beetles are worth 2 and we call them out saying “Punch Buggy Classic Red!” Or green or blue or whatever color we spot. The updated Beetles are worth the normal amount.

The most interesting thing about the game is how many Beetles are actually out on the road around here. Even the Classic’s are more prevalent than I’d have imagined.

The kids are pretty good at the game as well. The Wife and I rarely see our marks before the kids, especially when they are on. It also leads to the occasional argument when one kid doesn’t buy that the other actually saw a Punch Buggy. Then accusations of making it up or making a mistake start flying.

It’s something to help pass the time in the car.

Categories
Family Notweet

The Lass’ Talent Show

It’s the end of the school year. I used to assume that simply meant school was getting out shortly. After this year, it will mean something entirely different- time for after school student presentations. We’ve had concerts and plays and assemblies. More recently, the lass had her First Grade Talent Show.

The Talent Show seems to be a rite of passage kind of thing for 1st graders. The boy also did it, and was The World’s Strongest Man. As I said at the time, who knew?

For the boy, we knew what his talent was going to be, if not how it was going to be presented. For the lass, we didn’t know what she was going to do. That was the way she wanted it as well. So she was a little upset with her brother when he unknowingly spoiled the surprise about her doing a dance. Apparently, he got to preview the rehearsal or something so he’d already seen her routine.

Even so, it didn’t really spoil the surprise since we didn’t know what her dance was going to be like or even what music she’d be dancing to. Turns out she danced to A Thousand Years by Christine Perri with a couple of her class mates. The were up there twirling and circling and moving to the music. She used lots of long, flowing movements which worked well because of her long limbs.

She got lots of complements from other Moms whom enjoyed the little routine. Unlike the boy, I wasn’t surprised by her ability to pull it off. She’s much more comfortable in the spotlight than he was at her current age. She looked perfectly comfortable up on stage in front of everyone and she was definitely the leader of her little group. When the dance ended, one of the other girls looked like she wanted to scoot off stage as quickly as possible. The lass beckoned her into the middle of the stage so they could take their bow as a group.

What else is there to say? That’s our girl.

Categories
Family

The Hard Way

Sportsmanship is a difficult lesson for kids to learn. I know this not due to my own experience with the kids, but also because I’ve gleaned it from other parents. We sit and talk about it and the same things keep coming up, the same problems encountered, the same stories are told with seemingly only the names changing along the way.

We had our year-end Cub Scout campout this past weekend and I was afforded an opportunity to give the boy a lesson in sportsmanship. Within our Pack, we have a game called Ga-Ga. It’s basically like a game of dodge-ball on a small court. The rules are few and simple and the result it that the games are fast and plenty.

My opportunity arrived when I looked over and saw the boy kicking the ball away from the court. There was a smattering of exasperated “Comeon”‘s from the other kids. I stepped into the fray at that point, ordering the boy to bring me the ball and hand it to me.

So when he walked over, picked the ball up and kicked it at me, I swatted it back at him and told him to HAND IT TO ME. He finally did. At which point I turned and handed the ball back to the kids playing in the Ga-Ga court. I then turned back to the boy and told him “You’re done playing for the rest of the day.”

I can’t say for sure, but I think he’d been prepared for me to ban him for awhile. But I’m sure he didn’t think I’d ban him for the rest of the day. It was only mid afternoon and there was still lot’s of Ga-Ga to play. The realization that it would all take place without him didn’t set well with him, to say the least. I finally had enough of his complaining and started in on him “This isn’t the first time I’ve had this conversation with you, and it probably won’t be the last. Your behavior was completely out of line and I won’t let you get away with it. So you are done, for the day. You don’t want to listen to me when I tell you to calm down; you don’t seem to understand that it is just a game and unimportant in the scheme of things. So now, you will sit and watch while your friends play.”

He continued to protest, even threatening to never play any sports again. I ignored his drama. He eventually found other things to do, though every now and again he’d ask if he could join the kids playing Ga-Ga. I told him the same thing each time he’d ask “I told you- you’re done for the day and I meant it.” Ga-Ga was played until it was almost dark out. At one point, the kids even lined the court with their flashlights so they could play “Night Ga-Ga.”

The boy watched.

The next morning, more games were started up just after breakfast and before we started packing up the camp. The boy asked if he could join the games. I told him he could.

At one point, I looked over while they were playing. A bunch of kids yelled that the boy had been hit. He quietly stepped out of the court and waited for the current game to end and the next one to begin. Perhaps he finally learned a lesson about sportsmanship.

At least for this weekend.

Categories
Misc Notweet

Official Property Owners

Just a personal historical note of sorts. My first property was a small condo. When the Wife became the Wife, we actually lived in it together for a short period of time. I made a number of cosmetic improvements to it over time with the intent of renting it when we moved on to bigger and, hopefully, better things.

I’ve been renting it for over 10 years now, and have had a couple of real dud renters. That’s not been the case for a couple of years, thankfully.

Having mailed the final payoff check to the lender, I guess I’ll mark today as the semi-official day that we own the property outright. Which is nice.

Categories
DIY Patio

The All In Point

With the two retaining wall completed, the next phase is the pavers. Installing pavers, in theory, is pretty straight forward. Dig down, put a layer of gravel, followed by a layer of sand, followed by the pavers, followed by a final coating of sand to fill the joints.

The actual doing is a little more involved.

So that’s the result of the digging part. I had a guy who knows what he’s doing with a skidsteer do the digging under the deck. If I’d done it by hand, I’d still be digging into next year. He left it in piles and then left me the skidsteer to push the piles around for awhile. Since I had the machine, I also moved the remaining stone I had down under the deck. Saved me a lot of trip with the wheelbarrow. The result is the, uh, scene above.

There is no going back now.

Categories
Family

From the Low Tolerance Files

The boy was upset with his sister this morning.

In many ways, that statement is like the proverbial “man bits dog” statement. For the time being, it’s the safe way to bet that the two of them will be at each other’s throats in one way or another. It so happens that this morning the boy seemed particularly irked by the fact that, well, his sister exists.

First, it was arguments over breakfast and that she was constantly in his way. Then, he was upset when she reached for a bag of Doritos for her lunch because he also was having Doritos with his lunch. He was convinced that she was copying him and this naturally morphed into the more general complaint that “she always copies” me.

The Wife and I both told him to drop it and worry about himself. The whole exchange culminated with a trip to the corner for him because he “wished his sister wasn’t born sometimes.”

He finally had a little breakfast and subsequently hings quieted down until we got into the car. She was riding shotgun and he was directly behind her in the back seat. For whatever reason, she turned around to look at a car that had passed us. Suddenly, the boy jabbed his fingers into her face. He didn’t want her staring at her.

I yelled at him yet again, (“You could poke an eye out!” It felt so cliched.) including telling him for the millionth time that he needs to find other things to get annoyed about.

I remember my own days of being annoyed at things my younger siblings did. I realize now I really should have spent my energies on other things, though I’m pretty sure at the time whatever annoyance my brother and my sister were creating was the most important thing in the whole world. This appears to be the stage the boy is going through. Hopefully, he’ll take the nagging to heart at some point, finally realizing the truly minor nature of the annoyances his sister presents.