Day 16 - Why don't children come with a manual?

Why is it that the MOST IMPORTANT job I will ever have, raising my son, was thrust upon me with NO instructions included? Not that he was thrust upon me . . . but really, every gadget, project, chore, has a manual, a literal or virtual "Here's how this works, here's what you do, here's what you don't do"  . . . As a parent, I have choices. Sometimes NO means NO and other times NO means, I'm mad right now, but if you keep waring me down, you will probably get a YES, begrudgingly, but a yes all the same. (Did I spell begrudgingly right? It certainly doesn't look right. Is that even a word? Humm . . . ) What in the world is that all about. I know I'm not alone. How many times have you said NO, but that answer just didn't stick?

Okay, now I have to pause because I can already think of more than a handful of parents that would proudly profess that NO means NO every time, period! Well, to that, I would have to say, (if anyone was actually reading this anyway) I call B.S. And that's not Bachelor of Science . . . My child, who I truly love more than I love myself, seriously, has a way to work my system. He knows what to say, how to say it and more importantly, when . . . so, does that make him wrong or smart? I truly don't know but I can tell you that we will be following this story line from time to time, until he is 35, owner of his own home, making more money than me, with a budding retirement plan. Get the picture?

No, I haven't had a particularly bad day, but I have come to the conclusion that I wish I had a manual to fall back on . . . one that I could reference; back-up if you will . . . but until that time, the time where some really smart person, writes a manual, from birth to 35 or so, I will be BLOGGING, from time to time, about this serious flaw in the parenting system. If anyone out there is actually tuning in, I would sincerely appreciate your thoughts. And Melinda, I'm sorry for the terrible grammar and run-on sentences . . . a mess, I know. Thank God you love me anyway!

Bye now

My sweet son, back when I was the center of his universe . . .