Dear Santa
posted in General |He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows if you’ve been bad or good,
So be good for goodness’ sake
This isn’t a post about that pervert Santa, but rather about my kids. My elder kid to be specific. It’s sort of an apology to Santa Claus.
When I was a kid, I did some outrageous stuff, looking for attention. My most memorable, for me, was taking a pack of my dad’s cigarettes and setting them on fire in his ashtray. He came home, the house was filled with cigarette smoke, and he just blithely went about his evening rituals, eating dinner and watching M*A*S*H. For a long time I was convinced that he was senseless. As I got older, I decided that he probably noticed but didn’t know what to do with me, so just let it go.
Yes, I said it’d be about Miss B. Tonight, she threw a total fit about having the next door neighbor (Miss K) spend the night. On and On and On it went, at least an hour of whining yelling, stomping and carrying on. I was adamant though, because, well, I’m just not ready for her to spend a weeknight over here. Finally, as she is winding down, she asks if she can go next door to Miss K’s house because she’s, and I quote, “fed up with my attitude.” My jaw dropped. I can’t even imagine saying that to either of my parents, ever. Even now, as I’m called an “adult.” Sometimes she says or does something that’s so far beyond a line I thought I had to draw that I just have to marvel at her chudspah. I paused a moment, laughed at her, and rather than sending her to her room, I sigh rewarded her by saying “ok, ok. Go.” Because … I want her to be able to stand up for herself, and push her boundaries, but on the other hand … “fed up with my attitude?”
