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May13, 2006 - Hearts and Humor - I Just Want To Hold You >> |
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Hello, everyone! I'm late posting my mid-week story. I've been busy. This is an old humor story I wrote. My children taught me a major lesson. Mike Keep On Waving. Listen to Your Kids As a parent, I want my kids to know the difference between right and wrong, and I firmly believe the best way to do this is by example. It does no good to tell your child not to do something, when they see you doing it. They can only think, "Well, daddy does it. It must be OK." One of the best examples of this approach in my memory was when my daughter, Vanessa, was six and my son, Justin, was three. Vanessa had picked up a few swear words - probably from me. I told her it was wrong, but she said, "But, Daddy, we hear you swearing." "You're right, Honey." I replied. "Daddy, does swear, but that doesn't make it right. Daddy shouldn't swear either. If you ever hear me swearing, you have my permission to point it out to me and tell me it's wrong. You can help daddy learn not to do it anymore." This seemed to satisfy her. At the time we lived in a mobile home. Space was limited. We were constantly in each other's way. One bathroom for four people was not enough, so we decided to build an addition. We built a large connecting room and completely renovated the mobile. Today you can't tell that it was once a trailer. The new addition was 34' by 35'. We also added a second bathroom off of our bedroom, a place just for my wife and I. We installed all of the modern conveniences available at the time: whirlpool tub, shower stall, toilet, sink and even a bidet. My wife wanted the tub, vanity and sink surrounded with Formica. She chose a lovely green, marble pattern. The price quoted by our contractor for installation was more than we wanted to pay, so, like most men who like tools and enjoy using their hands, I decided to do it myself. I studied books, asked those with experience the proper method of installation, and soon decided I was an expert. The first step was to cut the Formica into the desired shapes and sizes, then glue them to the wood, and trim the edges with a router. "Simple enough," I thought to myself. Before starting, I covered the new flooring with newspaper to catch any glue that might drip. I chose our new vanity as my work area. The sink hadn't been installed yet, but it was a large flat area, perfect for what I needed. I covered this area with newspaper as well, including the hole where the sink would go. I put the first pieces of Formica to be installed on the vanity face down, and opened the gallon of contact cement. Carefully, I picked up the can, sat it on the vanity, and watched it disappear through the sink hole. It crashed to floor below, spraying glue everywhere. I stood there trying to comprehend this strange happening. Glue ran down my shins and over my new Christmas slippers. I began to curse and stomp around. Every step I took collected more newspaper. My wife and kids came running. They stood in the doorway watching a glue-covered, cursing maniac stomping around with a weeks worth of newspaper sticking to feet. Georgia began to laugh, but the kids were strangely quiet. A few days later, while we were out for our evening walk, Vanessa says, "Daddy?" "Yes, Hun?" "You know how you always tell us we should point out when you swear?" "Yes, Vanessa. Daddy shouldn't swear. You should always tell me to stop." "We heard you swear the other day." "You did? When?" "When you spilled the glue, but we didn't think it was a good time to say anything." I learned a lesson that day. It had nothing to do with swearing. I learned we need take the time to listen to our kids. They are much wiser than we give them credit for. Michael Smith If you wish to send a comment, please email me at mtsmith@qwestonline.com |
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May13, 2006 - Hearts and Humor - I Just Want To Hold You >> |
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