Streets are awake this morning. Must be Monday. Kids are
walking to school. Cars are flying by as parent shout, “Hurry, We’re Late.”
Five and six year old not ready to take on the new week seem to slow as
Homeroom is about the start. Sunrise in the east as beams lights shoot through
the leaves, through the blinds and open window. They warm me. Lets me know,
today is another day and possibilities are endless.
A nice weekend has ended. Went up in the attic to get the
Halloween decorations. Dorian was showing me how to play the new football game.
He asked me to download the Mahjongg app on the Ipad. His parents looked at me perplexed.
Reminded me when Aunt Dely looked at me when I taught Rochelle how to play King’s
Corner. I smiled back at them.
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It was Aunt Norma’s birthday this weekend. She was telling me about her future adventure
to Las Vegas. She’s an Elton John fan and wants to see him in a month. Only
going to be there in a day. Taking a tour bus to Vegas. $50 bucks round trip. Nice.
Given the gas prices these days it’s a bargain. Sleep on the way there. Sleep on
the way back. No fueling up. Damn, I should go, too.
Don’t think I can finish this post without bringing up a few
moments with a kid. Must have been in the 7th or 8th
grade, physically. He was tall. His vocabulary and syntax was in the same range
as Kaelynn, but his attitude was that of Dorian. Dorian just started first
grade. At the party, there’s a table of people playing cards and the guests
were watching NFL football. Ravens versus the Cowboys. This child was upsetting the whole room. Kept
screaming “When will this football be Over?”
every five minutes.
At first, we ignored
the child. Did not want to acknowledge poor manners. Obviously he was
frustrated that he could not play WII nor watch a Disney movie. Then he would go to the remote control
changing to the screen guide to see when it was over. Against his mother’s
stern demands to stop. This obviously
gave the child a green light to act more like a 5 year old. Guests not wanting to be rude, since it wasn't their child, started joking “Why don’t you go play outside. That’s what kids
do.” This one well this was not a well-mannered one. Didn't get the subtle hints. Started standing
in front of the TV so no else could watch. Went to one of the kids and demanded
that his Grandfather turn off this football so the kid could watch. 
Visibly agitated, he said to his mother, so everyone could
hear, “He’s wasting his time here and threatened, he would go home. “ Everyone
in the room smiled at this idea. Embarrassed and angry his mother retorted, “Fine,
walk home.” Home was thirty minutes away. Driving.
Got the sense the Mother has been here before. His child was
acting age inappropriate. Not sure if the child was a special needs or simply
babied during his upbringing. I wondered if I was such a shit. I would like to
think No. Some spankings I received may
say otherwise.
The defeated look the mother had on her face and my recollecting
with the business of a . . .Anyways, I
was at a quandary. Child did need a can
of whoop ass. Mother was visibly shaken.
Thankfully, my Uncle, the host, invited the males of the lot to some
poker and changed the TV to MIB 3. Not everyone was pleased. Child smiled and
laughed victoriously at the changing.
I knew it wasn't Far from it. Mother was still fuming. No one was
watching Football like they wanted. The Child’s behavior was enabled. If it was
a different time, belts would be unleashed and child-ish behavior would squashed.
With Child like this, “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child” would win more than a vote or two.
Maybe in the future, this behavior will
be corrected by the appropriate group. Still, I fear that time may be long
coming.
