As Father's Day approaches, I look back at the memories of those earlier days of being a Dad....that period of raising five children. It was a learning experience for all of us, for even the pressures on  me as teacher didn't prevent me from learning something from them.

1. Children and light switches: It takes about 18 years to teach a child that the light switch goes both ways; it turns the light on, it turns the light off. It is the 'off' part they have a hard time comprehending.  I spent many hours trailing behind kids saying, "You need to turn off lights you are not using"...to discover I had another kid behind me turning the light back on and another approaching from the other direction to make sure the procedure could go full circle....again and again.

2. Meal time conversations: "Don't tip in your chair"...."Try to chew with you mouth closed".."Don't talk with your mouth full of food"...{I never tried to tell them not to put their elbows on the table because in that position it was difficult for them to tip back in the chair.] There is some adolescent body structure that seems to make them more deaf than usual at feeding time.
And after all these years I have finally solved the mystery behind the parental instructions, "Don't take more than you will eat"...and "Eat all you take". [This advice was thrown at me as an adult at every meal in the Army.] Kids take more and don't eat it if it is something they don't like...that way it ends up being thrown out and they don't need to worry about it coming back to haunt them as 'leftovers'. In taking very small portions and eating it all is because they like it and want it to come back another meal as warmed overs; or they don't want to empty the serving container because it is their turn for dish washing.

3. Children and the refrigerator: There is some sort of magical attraction between kids and the 'ice box'. On a daily observation it seemed that every time a child passes the fridge they have to stop and look inside. I am not sure what they expect to find, but they are very careful to check it out each time they pass it for whatever the reason.

These are the main things I remember during the structural years; the things  I was sure would drive me crazy until the day they left home... And then there are the good memories,  happenings, and blessings the children brought to me....there are just too many of those to even try and pick out the most memorable.

God bless kids.
Mondo Jake 2003  

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" Long Live Posette -- the Queen of Poser"

  Thank you Mondo Jake ! Good one  

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