Children in the dunes
Today my sons climbed upon kitchen counters; removed baking supplies from cabinets; tore open sacks and twisted off bottle caps; dumped flour, sugar, honey, cream of tartar, etc. onto the kitchen and living-room floors (and upon themselves); erected block buildings amidst dunes of flower and sugar; and drove toy cars over the dunes.
This was done not all at once but throughout the day, in recurring cycles of sin, punishment, repentance, and forgiveness. (One doubts the genuineness of the repentance.)
Why did you permit the recurrence of these misdeeds? What were you doing all day?
Why wouldn’t you deal with them both together, instead of always leaving one to do mischief?
Believe me, I tried. They were confined together in Baby Jail for a time. It was borderline cruel and unusual.
And, after a child has forfeited his TV privileges, there is little that can hurt him; he may as well go “all out”; nothing remains but to flout the prison guard.
Just let the children play! Let their whims and imaginations run free! They aren’t hurting much.
I tried this, too (it was how I was able to eat lunch). Letting children play is a nice idea. But, eventually, they must come out of this blessed state – the kitchen can’t remain unswept forever – and then, strife is redoubled.
I don’t fancy myself an outstanding parent – my efforts are mostly directed toward survival and the satisfaction of extremely basic needs (theirs, mine) – but some days, I worry I’m downright lousy.
This was done not all at once but throughout the day, in recurring cycles of sin, punishment, repentance, and forgiveness. (One doubts the genuineness of the repentance.)
Why did you permit the recurrence of these misdeeds? What were you doing all day?
- Cleaning this or that part of the house
- Cleaning this or that child
- Scolding/threatening this or that child
- Punishing this or that child
- Comforting this or that child
- Eating lunch
- Lying next to this or that child, trying to lull him to sleep
- Inadvertently dozing off
Why wouldn’t you deal with them both together, instead of always leaving one to do mischief?
Believe me, I tried. They were confined together in Baby Jail for a time. It was borderline cruel and unusual.
And, after a child has forfeited his TV privileges, there is little that can hurt him; he may as well go “all out”; nothing remains but to flout the prison guard.
Just let the children play! Let their whims and imaginations run free! They aren’t hurting much.
I tried this, too (it was how I was able to eat lunch). Letting children play is a nice idea. But, eventually, they must come out of this blessed state – the kitchen can’t remain unswept forever – and then, strife is redoubled.
I don’t fancy myself an outstanding parent – my efforts are mostly directed toward survival and the satisfaction of extremely basic needs (theirs, mine) – but some days, I worry I’m downright lousy.