[Rant] Minor Rant III: For a Few Hollers More

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@LittleSin I read a really interesting article a few years back about a mother from New York. She defended her decision to let her 10-11 year old son go to the store and come home on the subway alone. She'd taught him about being safe in public--where to go and where to avoid. Though it made me feel nervous as someone who grew up in a really different place, I realized that she was absolutely right. She'd trained him to travel safely around his home, and he had to learn. There were parameters about how far he could travel, etc., but it all sounded very common sense. She said something about how overreported kidnapping is and how many kids get from a to b safely every day. It was a really nice read.

There definitely seems to be big difference between the northeastern us and the southern us in this regard. I'm from SC, and I'm used to kids being allowed to do their thing and push their boundaries. I moved to Boston when my son was 1, and the parents there seemed to treat their kids like glass. I remember parents being horrified that I was letting my 1 year old go down a slide. I was taken aback by it.

 

[Hailey Knight]

I remember parents being horrified that I was letting my 1 year old go down a slide. I was taken aback by it.

You put a 1-year-old on a slide? Man, you don't even like your kids.

 

[PatrThom]

WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!?

--Patrick

 

[doomdragon6]

So, I ended up not having to drive people. But that's only because I had a wreck that tore into the corner of my car. It's not too awful (I mean, it's bad, but it moves.). I have to get in through the passenger side though.

Oh well. Guess that's what insurance is for. This has been a bad month for my car. Got rear-ended, it got broken into, and now this.

Rest of the wedding was great. Pretty hot and humid, but at least I looked fuckin' dapper as shit.

 

[LittleSin]

damn doom you are stufly

I mean...i love vests on dudes....daaaamj

 

[PatrThom]

I think we need a "Me and my F*in Car" thread.

--Patrick

 

[DarkAudit]

I think we need a "Me and my F*in Car" thread.

--Patrick

Done.

 

[Bubble181]

Just to chime in...we just had my nephew and niece over for a long weekend. They're 5 and 6. Both of them were perfectly OK with running free around the street, stopping to wait for us at the intersections, always being careful and correct, doign what we asked of them and nothing more.
They were a bit scared the first time they were on a subway (first time EVER!), on a tram (first time EVER! Seriously, they come from a country village and I live in THE BIG CITY OMG for them ), but even so, they did everything exactly as they should. Good parenting is what it is.
And yes, we recently had Child Focus, which is pretty much the Belgian variety of Amber Alert, take out big multi-page adds to ask people to stop being so panicky and scared - child abuse and abductions happen by family or friends in over 85% of the cases, and in over 90% at home. You shouldn't send out your kids to play alone in traffic, butn ot because OMG ALL THE OTHER STRANGERS.

Good parenting, it's a nearly-lost art. Don't worry, you all seem to be doing it right

 

[doomdragon6]

Mildly depressed again. Annoyed by this. Not sure wat do.

 

[GasBandit]

Mildly depressed again. Annoyed by this. Not sure wat do.

 

[PatrThom]

--Patrick

 

[Jay]

View attachment 15541

--Patrick

Probably one of my top 5 games of all time. I still remember it being one of the first games i played in the 80ies... DOS version.

 

[sixpackshaker]

I played the hell out of all three versions... Pirates!, Pirates! Gold, and Pirates! Live the Life.

I just wished there was a version of the latest one where you did not have to dance every time you meet a new Governor's Daughter.

 

[HCGLNS]

Thanks for the commiseration guys.

I also now find myself in a spat in a moms group on facebook. One mother was talking about how horrified she was to find that her friend allows her 6 year old to go down the street to the park by himself. All the other moms started talking about how their kids aren't ever allowed out of their sight and how neglectful that was. One mother has a 14 year old that has never once been in another persons car, gone to a sleep over or went shopping on her own.

I just said that Jet goes out on his own and he's five. I also said that I believe in allowing kids to explore things with out a watchful gaze as I think its empowering, even if they do get into something they shouldn't at times.

...I am now basically mommy hitler. I don't love him enough. Someone will swipe him off the street and I'll never see him again.

Guess that's what I get for playing a devils advocate to a bunch of mothers who apparently have eyes in the back of their heads and infinite time for hand holding.

Maybe i am a sucky mom!

When my daughter was seven I gave her $20 and a grocery list and made her buy the ingredients for the dinner she was cooking that night.

Jet will be fine.

 

[Bones]

When my daughter was seven I gave her $20 and a grocery list and made her buy the ingredients for the dinner she was cooking that night.

Jet will be fine.

YOU MONSTER! :3 *BONES CALLS CPS*

 

[Dave]

I just got an email invite...for my 30th high school reunion. Nothing makes you feel older than counting years except maybe watching your friends showing off their grandkids.

 

[doomdragon6]

I just got an email invite...for my 30th high school reunion. Nothing makes you feel older than counting years except maybe watching your friends showing off their grandkids.

Ouch. I'm just now having some friends with 2-year-olds.

 

[Dave]

My sister is two years older than me and has (I think) 12 grandchildren.

 

[HCGLNS]

YOU MONSTER! :3 *BONES CALLS CPS*

Uh oh CPS arrived during hunting knife safety lessons.

 

[WasabiPoptart]

My 20 year reunion would be happening soon, and I knew a girl who told me excitedly at graduation that she was pregnant, so I suppose some of my high school peers would be having grandchildren about now.

I know several of my high school peers who are grandparents. I laugh. A lot.

 

[bhamv3]

Uh oh CPS arrived during hunting knife safety lessons.

Rule one, your knife is always loaded.

 

[HCGLNS]

Knife safety lead to small sharpened sticks.

Which lead to the game of who can throw the stick into the grass and make it stick.

Which lead to an aerated lawn at a fraction of the cost of renting an aerator.

 

[fade]

Making a stick stick. Whoa.

 

[WasabiPoptart]

Now my mother-in-law has called in her usual hysterics. The conversation I overheard went something like: No, we aren't going to die. Yes, we have food. Yes, the kids are here. No, it's not raining or anything yet. No, the weather isn't bad yet. No, the wind is about the same as it usually is. No, we aren't leaving the island.

 

[doomdragon6]

I'm up before noon for the first time in over a month, and I'm seriously sitting here like, "Well. What the fuck do I do?" I seriously have nothing to do. I ate breakfast. And I'm probably going back to sleep. There's no real housework or errands to take care of, I've applied to what jobs I can think to apply to, and I sure as hell don't have any friends up or available at this time to just go meet up with.

It's just weird to wake up to a whole day ahead of you, and know you're going to waste it, because you don't have anything productive to do.

 

[drawn_inward]

I know several of my high school peers who are grandparents. I laugh. A lot.

I recently found out the several of my classmates are grandparents. They aren't even 40 yet. I am late to the game. I just have an 8 month old. I'll be confused for her grandpa when she graduates high school.

 

[fade]

Come to my neighborhood. You'll fit right in. My son is 11, and a lot of his friends' dads can order off the seniors menu. Seems to be pretty common in the oil industry.

 

[sixpackshaker]

Now my mother-in-law has called in her usual hysterics. The conversation I overheard went something like: No, we aren't going to die. Yes, we have food. Yes, the kids are here. No, it's not raining or anything yet. No, the weather isn't bad yet. No, the wind is about the same as it usually is. No, we aren't leaving the island.

If it makes you feel any worse,,, I want you ask you the same questions.

 

[GasBandit]

You should just set up a webcam livestreaming out a window or something.

 

[evilmike]

Now my mother-in-law has called in her usual hysterics. The conversation I overheard went something like: No, we aren't going to die. Yes, we have food. Yes, the kids are here. No, it's not raining or anything yet. No, the weather isn't bad yet. No, the wind is about the same as it usually is. No, we aren't leaving the island.

Those are calls are always fun. Did your husband resist trolling his mom? "The storm has broken in! It's got a knife!"

If it makes you feel any worse,,, I want you ask you the same questions.

If it helps, I'm not overly concerned about the danger your family faces during the storm. It's a category 1 storm and it sounds like your family has enough sense to not go surfing or to try to make a kite out of a typically non-kite-like object to see if it will fly so I fully expect you all to make it through the storm safe and sound.

 

[sixpackshaker]

@WasabiPoptart make sure all your valuables are at least a foot off of the ground. These things can dump an amazing amount of water. Have a fall back spot in the house. Like an interior closet or small bathroom. Since you have two smallish kids, bring their mattresses in there with you. One for the group of you to sit on, and the other to lean against the window.

I hope it moves fast, so you don't have to deal with flooding.

 

[fade]

Okay, no offense, but I don't get it when people say "just a category 1". I grew up in hurricane central, and to me, that's like saying, "It's only one snakebite".

 

[GasBandit]

Okay, no offense, but I don't get it when people say "just a category 1". I grew up in hurricane central, and to me, that's like saying, "It's only one snakebite".

That's because in houston you experience 8 inches of floodwater when somebody sneezes. The rest of us call a category 1 a "thunderstorm."

 

[fade]

Hey, I'm from SC, and lived a long time in Louisiana.

 

[Anonymous]

I want to vent about something, but my wife would get pissed and it's so specific that it would be immediately known who was posting.