One of the (many) cars I drove before I turned 20 was my mom's Jeep Wrangler.
The first thing I did when she handed me the keys was dig an aged cantaloupe (no, this isn't some gourmet food item you've never heard about) out of the fridge, place it strategically in the middle of our street and run it over at a high rate of speed with my new wheels, sending rotten melon bits into both ditches and my smile from ear to ear. I did a lot of other fun things in that Jeep, too, including jumping curbs and parking lots on my college campus and things I'll wait two or 25 more years before telling my mother about.
I've been driving for more than 10 years now (though not the Wrangler, for which I'm sure my mom is thankful), but I never grew out of my naughty streak.
Having a two-year-old in my life does nothing to quell my love of mischief.
One of the greatest toys a mischief-loving parent (or, in this case, great-grandparent) can give her mischief-loving child is a remote-control car.
When we went to the park today, he didn't want to play with it on the sidewalk like any sensible child would. Um, no. He wanted to take with him as he climbed the big toy...
And made a beeline for the slide.
The naughtiness, it is strong with this one.
Sometimes, though I'm pretty sure it's just a chip off the old block, the naughtiness streak is too much for me to handle. Not when the kid puts his remote control car down the slide - that's pretty funny to me, actually - but rather when he's staging a sit-in at the grocery store because I won't buy him a box of White Castle burgers (who does that??) or running through the house stark naked and laughing hysterically when I'm trying to wrangle him into the bathtub, stopping only to pee in the floor. When I tell my mom about his antics she likes to say things like, gee, that sounds familiar or that paybacks are a you-know-what.
Which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
But, shoot.
With this guy, it sure is tough to stay fed-up for long.
7 comments:
to stinkin cute!
People used to think it was necessary to "spank" adult members of the community, military trainees, and prisoners. In some countries they still do. In our country, it is considered sexual battery if a person over the age of 18 is "spanked", but only if over the age of 18.
For one thing, because the buttocks are so close to the genitals and so multiply linked to sexual nerve centers, striking them can trigger powerful and involuntary sexual stimulus in some people. There are numerous physiological ways in which it can be sexually abusive, but I won't list them all here. One can use the resources I've posted if they want to learn more.
Child buttock-battering vs. DISCIPLINE:
Child buttock-battering (euphemistically labeled "spanking","swatting","switching","smacking", "paddling",or other cute-sounding names) for the purpose of gaining compliance is nothing more than an inherited bad habit.
Its a good idea for people to take a look at what they are doing, and learn how to DISCIPLINE instead of hit.
I think the reason why television shows like "Supernanny" and "Dr. Phil" are so popular is because that is precisely what many (not all) people are trying to do.
There are several reasons why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea. Here are some good, quick reads recommended by professionals:
Plain Talk About Spanking
by Jordan Riak,
The Sexual Dangers of Spanking Children
by Tom Johnson,
NO VITAL ORGANS THERE, So They Say
by Lesli Taylor M.D. and Adah Maurer Ph.D.
Most compelling of all reasons to abandon this worst of all bad habits is the fact that buttock-battering can be unintentional sexual abuse for some children. There is an abundance of educational resources, testimony, documentation, etc available on the subject that can easily be found by doing a little research with the recommended reads-visit the website of Parents and Teachers Against Violence In Education at www.nospank.net.
Just a handful of those helping to raise awareness of why child bottom-slapping isn't a good idea:
American Academy of Pediatrics,
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
American Psychological Association,
Center For Effective Discipline,
Churches' Network For Non-Violence,
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
Parenting In Jesus' Footsteps,
Global Initiative To End All Corporal Punishment of Children,
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In 26 countries, child corporal punishment is prohibited by law (with more in process). In fact, the US was the only UN member that did not ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
My mom likes to say~"you pay for your raising", & somehow I am even w/ just nephews & a niece!
( & what was all that mess about spankin'?...)
(First of all, oh my! I believe PD should re-read your post five or six times and possibly maybe sorta rethink his or her response. Just maybe.)
Second, how beautiful was that day for him to get outside! I can so see my boys doing the same thing. And as he gets older, you'll think "finally he's not in to this or that..." But be on your guard: that just means his crafty little mind has moved on to something else. : ) He's adorable!
Hmmmmm! Having a child bringeth much understanding. It warms my heart to see my baby grandson, with his precious brand of Sam, cause my daughter to have plenty of Ah-ha's. I believe he helps her understand that her mom reallllllly is a good person, ha! Even the greatest mom in the world would NOT enjoy hearing about the antics that have been done in their most favorite car ever, the Jeep Wrangler. Youth has no concern for the caring of things. My Jeep did not return the way it left, but, hopefully, it taught Tasha some maturity and responsibility. It didn't temper her mischevious nature, though. I'm very happy for that. I think it runs in the family :)
For the record, everyone, my mom is and was not a spanker. A rascal in her own right, but not a spanker. As a writer and blogger I'm a big proponent of responsible creative license. In this case I crossed a line, feelings were hurt as a result and I elected to rework the offending section of the post.
PDeverit, while I have a very open comments policy here at TDT, I think most everyone would agree that you took a select few words in this post, twisted them and used them as a platform for your own agenda. Needless to say, I didn't appreciate it, but I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do it again.
Peace, puppies and rainbows,
Tasha
Thank you, Tasha.
Love, Mom
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