My Kids Blog

[LJ3]

Bailey hooked up with this website looking for upbeat content. She's doing some design work for them as well as writing columns for them in a rotation. The kid's pretty good.

http://www.uplivedaily.com/blog/why-i-an-sbnr-find-organized-religion-inspiring

[Thumper]

Wow! Can I hire her as my spokeswoman whenever one of my friends or family members tells me I'm going straight to Hell for not "believing"? She hit the nail on the head as to what my thoughts are.

There is one paragraph that REALLY hit home with me and mirrors my feelings exactly. I'll jab at Bucky from time to time, but just because I don't "believe" ... does NOT mean I don't respect those who do. Deep down inside, the word "naive" comes to mind, but that does not mean I can't respect one's strong personal beliefs. Here's where Bailey's blog hit home with me personally.

"Although I don’t follow an organized religion, I find it inspiringly beautiful. These people sacrifice their whole lives to believe in this spirit, energy, or person. They truly believe with all of their hearts that there is a greater god and he controls everyday life. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things I disagree with when it comes to those statements but that’s beside the point. The point is that I always admire the people that believe so passionately. They pray because they truly believe that it will help and something will come out of it. They pray on a broken ankle and expect it to heal, they pray about ill people and hope they will recover, I am envious of that kind of belief and passion."

I never really thought about the cloud thing before. I always followed George Carlin's suggestion and figured the sun would make as much (or more) sense than the traditional image of God. :D

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[Chicken Dinner]

It's pretty cool when your kids start turning into real grown up humans that are fun to spend time with with and have interesting opinions, thoughts and senses of humor. I met my older "man-cub" for lunch yesterday and had one of those days. Good stuff.

[quercus alba]

on july 3rd I'll have gained two daughter-in-laws and a grand baby in the last year. I've only been fishing once in that time


life needs to slow down

[LJ3]

I often hear David Gilmore singing "Time" in my head these days.

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say

Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
When I come home cold and tired
It's good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away, across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spell

[Thumper]

They sure grow up fast, don't they Lenster?

Question: Do you realize Bailey is about the same age you were when you had the military stamp the word "Agnostic" into your dog tags?

What's that old saying? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree? ;)

[LJ3]

Yeah, she sorta left me out of her article :) We've been talking about religion since she was three years old.

[BarryBobPosthole]

She obviously knows how to hash out some answers to some tough questions. I'm not sure if those thinking skills are innate or learned, but it probably is a little bit of both. I have four kids and their critical thinking skills run from very good reasoning skills to not being able to hit the ground with their hat. And all four grew up in the same household. So go figure.

BKB

[Thumper]

I have four kids and their critical thinking skills run from very good reasoning skills to not being able to hit the ground with their hat. And all four grew up in the same household. So go figure. BKB

P-hole, I couldn't tell you how many times I've thought along those same lines everytime I read about some kid f'ing up and seeing people blame the parents. Sure, there are PLENTY of examples of parental neglect ... but I'm talking "normal" families.

We had six kids in our family and even though we were all raised in the same household, in the same way, by the same parents .. we are all over the map now that we're grown and on our own.

My sister is a self-made multi-millionaire (she and her husband). They left their jobs at KFC and built their own business together. It grew, is still in business today and the kids have taken it over (sis and BIL retired in their early 50's). On the otherhand, I have a brother who has never held a job in his life and is a homeless alcoholic. I have another brother who has a successfull business in Northern California, has a million dollar home in the hills ... yet, I have another brother who has been in jail a few times. Very petty stuff, nothing serious ... stupid things like letting an unpaid jaywalking ticket go to warrant! But still! Seriously? He's always had menial jobs, has NEVER owned a new car and drives vehicles you'd swear were dragged straight out of a junkyard, has always had hair down to his ass and still thinks he'll someday make it big as a rock star. Ummm, he'll be 60 next year ... I think he should give it up! I've got another sister who is a total sweetheart who is about as average as you can get. She's rented all her life, but has always held a job. Then there's me .... all over the map ... I've made 6 figure salaries ... and I've made salaries in the low 20's ... but I've always managed, always worked, have always owned a house since purchasing my first one 35 years ago.

The point is, you can only be held responsible for so much as a parent and there's a point that kids start making their own choices and making their own decisions. All you can do as a parent is try to instill a good work ethic and teach them right from wrong, then hope they follow the right path. If they don't ... well ... fuck 'em! :D

[Buckrub]

My brother is lying next door under Hospice care, dying, from cirrhosis of the liver.......self inflicted. Encepolopathy is making him nuttier than a fruit cake. Mother blames herself. I don't get it.

I got three.......I love 'em all. But at times I want to rap their skull with a ball peen hammer, repeatedly and with increasing force. And they are as different as apples, oranges, and........um.......bicycles.

[Buckrub]

And Thump, you raise another great point.

I've been fired twice. Once from a 22 year rising career. Posthole was actually the FIRST person I called while driving down the street to home with all my office pictures and paraphenalia in my truck, if he remembers. Yet, I've never even thought of going to the unemployment office. I am not going to be unemployed, or I wasn't. Wasn't going to happen. Any honest labor is honest labor. We don't have a caste system here. I respect you and Posthole and Cappy and Ed and Len and QA and Whoever Is Brokest Among Us, equally. And I really do. I didn't always feel that way, I have to confess. But right now, money is about as stupid a concept as I've ever run across. It can influence character, clearly. But it doesn't matter to me. STILL............"if a man shall not work, neither let him eat". I believe that. I wish everyone did.

[LJ3]

She obviously knows how to hash out some answers to some tough questions. I'm not sure if those thinking skills are innate or learned, but it probably is a little bit of both. I have four kids and their critical thinking skills run from very good reasoning skills to not being able to hit the ground with their hat. And all four grew up in the same household. So go figure.

BKB

People often compliment me on how Bailey has lived her life and grown in to the young woman she is now; what a wonderful job Iv'e done with her. It's mostly just how she is. I can only take credit for being there to talk to her and answer her millions of questions and tell her how the world looks from my perspective. The rest, she did on her own.

Perfect example is learning to ride a bike. We tried together, she basically told me to get lost and went in the garage with her bike. Came out 5 minutes later hauling ass down the street on her own.

[Thumper]

Kinda like you "teaching" her how to fish. :D

[Buckrub]

People often compliment me on how Bailey has lived her life and grown in to the young woman she is now; what a wonderful job Iv'e done with her. It's mostly just how she is. I can only take credit for being there to talk to her and answer her millions of questions and tell her how the world looks from my perspective. The rest, she did on her own.

Perfect example is learning to ride a bike. We tried together, she basically told me to get lost and went in the garage with her bike. Came out 5 minutes later hauling ass down the street on her own.

This is not hard. Clearly, most very clearly, it is because of what I whispered in her ear as I held her as an infant.

[Thumper]

Prolly gave her her first ear ache! ;)