I had a meeting on post last night. I brought everybody, except for Fritz who had CCD. Billy was not at all happy about having to come. He wanted to stay home with Fritz, and he is old enough to do so. But, unfortunately, this child has demonstrated that following house rules when parents aren’t around is not a priority. We have a no TV or computer rule for school days, but that just doesn’t seem good enough for him. I’m not mad about it; he is still very immature, and some personalities are less obedient than others. I have accepted that I will likely battle him over every single rule until the day he leaves home. He, though, has not accepted the reality that I will battle him over every single rule until he leaves home.
“Aw, Mom, can’t you give me another chance?” he pleaded when I explained why he didn’t get to stay home.
“Of course I will,” I said, patiently, “when you are older and have matured a bit more.”
“But I’ll be 50 by then!”
“Yes, that is very likely,” I agreed.
At the front door, with me pointing to the van loaded with everybody else, he tried his final argument.
“I want to spend time with my brother!”
I answered him with silence.
“He’ll be going away to college soon! I need to spend as much time with him as I can before that happens!”
It didn’t work.
*******
It’s military protocol to have 8 x 10 color glossy photos showing the chain of command posted on some wall in every unit. I don’t know all the rules or requirements, but, for example, if you walk into a military hospital, somewhere there will be a photo of the hospital commander, and probably the hospital Command Sergeant Major (the highest ranking NCO)…then there will also be a picture of the hospital commander’s boss, and that person’s boss, and that person’s boss…all the way up to the Commander in Chief. It’s actually not that many pictures – no more than a dozen.
The same series of photos is on a wall in my husband’s office building showing his battalion’s chain of command. Last night, after the meeting, I encountered Mary and her dad looking at the photos.
“That’s Obama,” said Mary, pointing to the Commander in Chief.
“That’s right,” I said. Then I asked, “And who is Obama? What’s his job?”
“He kills babies,” said Mary.
Um. Political rhetoric a bit high at our house, you think?
For the record, I did have her repeat the title: President of the United States.
*******
Speaking of politics, I am convinced that Fox News really thinks that Mitt Romney is The One to take on Obama. And I think they’re kinda freaking out about Rick Santorum. This is the only way I can explain why all the articles about the impending Alabama/Mississippi primaries were how Gingrinch would likely win because he’s a good ole’ boy, but that Romney was still going to do really well and how he is polling strongly. And then after Santorum won, they’re all how inevitable Romney’s victory is anyway, and why don’t these other bozos just give it up for the good of party unity, and how, really, when push comes to shove, more people think Romney can defeat Obama than Santorum can.
I’m still trying to figure out how the same article can say that polls show Romney beats out Santorum among fiscal conservatives, but that Santorum wins among Tea Partiers. Um, last time I pad any attention to the so-called Tea Partiers, their agenda was all about fiscal conservatism and had nothing at all to do with social issues, which is why I didn’t really get involved. I think fiscal conservatism is important, but I think it goes hand in hand with social conservatism (for example, if more women got married before having kids and stayed married while they raised their children, there would be fewer woman and children requiring government assistance to meet basic needs…funny how that works…).
We’ll see where it all goes. But I find Fox News’ coverage very interesting.
Reit This Way 
Glad to see I am not the only one having to take one of my middle kids with me when I leave the house – even when younger siblings get to stay home with an older child. (well, maybe not glad it happens at your house too, just glad we're not the only ones 🙂 )
I think we need a chain of command set of pictures at our home. Dad and Mom are clearly in charge…but when I am out of the house some seem to forget that I put the oldest in charge before I left.
Too funny! My oldest is one of those “Give me one more chance, Mom,” kind of kids. No matter how many chances we give her, she always falls short. We joke with her that the 50th chance is a charm. It's nice to see I'm not the only one with politically charged children. Being anything other than a Republican in our house is not an option. When I explain just what is wrong with those Democrats, killing babies is always on the list of what's wrong with them. My kids have no compunction about going to school and telling their class that the current President is in favor of killing unborn babies.
i gasped and chuckled at Mary's response – mostly b/c thats the kind of social gaff, yet painful truth my children are also most likely to point out.
as for santorum, i keep “giving up hope” everytime i hear news coverage about him. everyday, they want to count him out, but then…. he's still in. so i keep thinking, maybe there is a shot this election will have someone i can vote for in it!
Mary's response would be my youngest child's response as well. Sadly. I so wish we could teach respect for the office…but very hard when you have no respect for the person. It used to drive me nuts when liberals called President Bush “Bush.” I can't bring myself yo offer that respect. Last Sunday our priest, in reference to the HHS mandate, called him Obama. Whoa.
I am sick of all media, even Fox. They are all biased. I am embarrassed to be a journalist by trade (though in my day they still taught impartiality).
I had to laugh at Mary's response. Soon after the 1992 presidential election we moved into a new home in Lancaster, CA. My 4-year-old son wandered over to speak with the next door neighbor who was out working in his yard. The first words out of my son's mouth were “who did you vote for for president?” Our new neighbor chuckled and admitted he had voted for George Bush. My son then told him,” Good thing because Bill Clinton lies!” From the mouths of babes.
Michelle- I don't think you've been following the Tea Party very closely. They started out all about being fiscally conservative. That's why they started out with members from across the political spectrum. However, over the last three years, they have progressively become more socially conservative. They are now populated almost solely by extremely socially conservative people. I think that these polls are probably pretty accurate.
Thanks, Kristina, for clarifying. I haven't paid any attention to the Tea Party since it's inception and had no idea what it's main points were. If they are socially conservative, that would explain the polls.
Yes, if more children were raised by 2 parents (of different genders) then academics would be a higher priority and less kids would doing drugs, drinking, and dropping out. That would mean less young adults on welfare and a more financially sound country.
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Sorry, I'll not permit anyone to speak ill of my friends on my blog (or to my person). Your statement is far from “veritas.”
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