Is 14 too late to change my parenting style?

August 5, 2011

I am off work for a long weekend.  I know it seems like I am off work all the time now, but I assure you, I am not.  I have tried to take short spurts of vacation time now as we will start to ramp up for the busiest seasons soon.  I have over 100 hours of vacation time left and once we get to November, I won't be able to take any until next Spring.  Who will be cranky for Easter?  Biting ears off real live bunnies?  Maybe.

What huge plans do I have for this weekend?  Well, sit down and prepare to be amazed.  Nothing!

I know.  Want to hang  out with me, but are afraid you can't keep up?  Old people with walkers could keep up with my crazy lifestyle.

Who knows, we may head up to Kings Island, go see Beth's Great Aunt Retta, or go grocery shopping.  Beth says we are at threat level orange for available eats in the house, so we need to go buy one of everything.  I told her I would go with her since that is much better than sitting at home trying to tell her what to buy.

The great thing about being me though, is that down time with family is one of my life's greatest joys.  It is like pizza flavored ice cream.  Let me give you a couple of examples from an innocent trip to see Wendy for dinner the other night.  (Why? No food in the house, remember?) 

As we were noshing on some sandwiches off the value menu (partying like rock stars since 2011), CJ decided to get a frosty.  I gave him a ten dollar bill and he went to buy it.  How he can see over the counter, I will never know.  He came back with some chocolate Oreo frosty thing.  I asked for change and he said, "Oh sorry, it cost $10."  I laughed and held my hand out.  He said, "you're right, it was $2, but I told the guy to keep the change."  Nice.

Then on the the way home, we were discussing a young man that works for me who is saving money to go to school for video game design.  This is CJ's dream job still, no matter how tactfully I try to dissuade him.

I do this by telling him you have to be good at art, have parents willing to foot the bill, and I am pretty sure video games are not going to catch on.  Hasn't worked so far.

Anyway, I described this young man as someone who will just come up to me and start talking about video games, or art, or what I can only describe as blahbety, blah, blah.  Beth said it reminded her of her brother.  CJ agreed, but then felt free to add "except for the part where he has a job."  I almost wrecked the car.  ROTFLMAOACJ!

It has become apparent to Beth and me that our choice of parenting with sarcasm may come back to haunt us at some point.  The jury is on their way back in.