Raising children or......

Where did the dollar go that was on the snack bar?
Not me...
Not me...
Not me...
Not me...
Not me...
Not me...

OK empty your pockets.
Empty
Empty
Empty
Empty
Dollar
Empty

Where did you get that 1.00
From #1

#1 Did you give #5 that dollar?
Yes

Where did you get that dollar?
I found it.

Where did you find it?
On the floor by the snack bar.

You heard me ask where that dollar went and you said you didn't take it.
No you asked where the dollar "ON" the snack bar went, this one was on the floor "BY" the snack bar.

You and I both know this is the same dollar.
Maybe.

Was the dollar on the floor yours?
NO.

Then you should not have taken it, correct?
Exactly, and that is why I gave it away, because it wasn't mine to spend.

OK, it wasn't yours to give away either.
But #5 needed it and it was just lying there not belonging to anyone.


OK this was a real conversation. I can't remember which kid so I just left names blank. In reality this happens all the time. Over and over I try to explain that money that is not yours.... is not yours to give away... even for a really good reason.

Yet.. as I sit here today, recovering from my flu/cold, listening to the early news.... I find how similar our government is to my children.

Tax money.... it is not really their money, but they have no guilt or remorse in giving it away for a really good cause.

I think pig odor is a good cause... once the budget is balanced and the government is living within their means. I think it would be a great thing to reduce pig odor, especially if it also made life until slaughter more humane for the pigs. But I don't think borrowing into oblivion to pay for odor reduction makes sense.

I don't mind underwater research, wool research, weed eating sheep research.... darn I meant to put in for my own, reducing carbon emissions in children earmark.... Oh well, next round I will put in for my own 1,000,000.

Or how about 1,000,000 to study the effects of moving an urban family to a completely self sustaining, off the grid, farm. Wouldn't that be so cool. I bet if congress all look around, they could find all kinds of cubby corners in the next budget to hide a million or so for me.

And if they get caught, just blame the other party. I don't really care which party is in charge... just blame the other. It is a time proven remedy.

How many of us parents have experienced that with our own kids.... one gets caught red handed breaking a rule... the first thing they do is deflect... "Well XXX snuck out last night". Then of course XXX, red faced and unbelieving of the betrayal.... says, "YYY did too, he planned the whole thing and it was his friend who picked us up to drive us to the party". YYY not to miss a beat says, "But ZZZ covered for us. Remember when you had him check to see why we were so quiet and he came back and said we were asleep with our ear plugs in again. He lied. We were gone".

Before you know it, you realize all your kids lie and cover for each other.... until caught, then deflect blame until you are so frustrated so angry.... you realize you can't discipline any of them without serious risk of breaking the law and ending up in prison yourself. I mean, who wants to be the next psycho mom who harms their beloved children... on the evening news. Not me. So I take the easy way out and blame the friends who put them up to it all in the first place. Darn friends, leading my angels down the wrong path.

I see our government doing the same thing. Deflect... Deflect... deflect.... until we voters are so frustrated, so confused, so angry, the only thing left for us to do is blame the other party.

And to think I was getting excited that two of my teens are almost ready to leave the nest... I was getting excited thinking that one day... I would be finished parenting....

Nope... our government seems to need good parents too.

Any foster parents out there willing to take in the US. Congress?

I think I will have to decline. Not sure I could do it without breaking the "no spanking foster kids", "No yelling at foster kids", and other rules..... although the time out rule could work (one minute for every year of age in silent time out... every time they speak or make noise, the clock starts over). Wow, the US might find itself in the silent ages... Most of congress is over 40 and I can't imagine any of them going silent for 40 minutes.

It is amazing.... all those combined years of education... and no common sense... no honesty... no integrity.