Sandra Dodd

Below is part of http://sandradodd.com/notfunny and I don't know how
it will come out in e-mails, but I hadn't mentioned this $5 way to
"light up someone's day" with an "all-too-true" message.

The sign is "Raising children is like being pecked to death by a
chicken."

Once someone posted on a list I *was* on "raising a teenager is like
nailing jello to a tree." I report the outcome of that below and on
the page linked above.

HOW MUCH HAPPIER those families could have been had they dealt
directly with one another as the actual people they were instead of
taking on roles and spouting phrases they happened to have at the tip
of their tongue (without thinking of where those bits of pre-formated
dialog came from)...

I LOVE my teens. They're better people than those who manufacture
plastic chickens with anti-child, anti-parent, anti-family messages
and sell them. There's nothing jello-like about them. There's
nothing chicken-pecking about them. There's nothing "to death" about
them.

I suppose if they felt I had pecked them to death, or been wibbly-
wobbly and inconstant like jello they would be different people now.
And I would be a different person. I would probably have found ways
to justify my actions and choices and would laugh at them behind
their backs. Only I didn't and I don't.



Sandra



===============the quoted passage:================



I was on someone's humor list, and once received a set of anti-child
jokes that really offended me. I responded to the list and said
something along the lines of what's above (but very short version),
and got three hateful e-mails and lost my friendship. The people on
that list were almost all teachers in the public schools, in Salt
Lake City. Some of them I know to be childless. I liked that
friendship a great deal at one time, but I like my children's future
and my integrity much more.



On a New Mexico list for homeschoolers I created and maintained for
years, someone put up a quote from e-Bay (- great source of
quotes- :-/) that said raising a teenager was like nailing jello to a
tree. I objected to it, lightly, said I wasn't having problems with
my unschooled teens, and was hooted down by some people insulting me
and unschooling. The upshot was I gave the list to someone with
thicker skin and newer energy, and I quit the whole list. If on a
homeschooling list it's to be fine to insult those whole people to
whom we have supposedly dedicated our lives, there are problems with
homeschoolers.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

queenjane555

> HOW MUCH HAPPIER those families could have been had they dealt
> directly with one another as the actual people they were instead
>of >taking on roles and spouting phrases they happened to have at
>the >tip of their tongue (without thinking of where those bits of
>pre->formated dialog came from)...
>
> I LOVE my teens.

I was at our local HS group park day the other day, and a mom showed
up that i hadnt met before. She had a few teens and a younger child
with her. I thought maybe her kids might be interested similar
things as my son, so i asked "What do your kids like to do?"

Her answer:"Complain."

ummm....ok, thanks that was helpful. I had forgotten that alot of
people don't *like* their kids, or if they do secretly like them
they think its not "cool" in the parenting world to let anyone know.
Meanwhile, my kid is the only one sitting with us parents, happily
drawing in his notebook. The other day he said "I'm so happy i'm
your son. You're a great mom!" I tell him all the time how glad i am
that he's my son. I also like to say nice things about him when he
can overhear me (to other people, i mean.)

I can't wait for him to be a teenager. I think it will be fun. The
longer i have a respectful relationship with my son, the more
bizarre it sounds when people say really rude things about their
kids in public, to near strangers. And then the poor teens get the
blame for being disrespectful, for not wanting to spend time with
their parents, for sneaking around.


Katherine