I've done it, people! (all 1.44 per day of you ~ thats up from a previous average of .89 viewers per day so I'm feeling pretty good about that!) In a triumph of cunning, daring, timing and organizing with military precision, I have rounded up my son and we have taken down the Christmas tree and decorations. Hey, its only January um... 6th (had to look it up, hard to keep track when you're not working!)One of the dangers of a fake tree is that there isn't the falling needles and the pressing concern about fire hazard to motivate you to take down the tree. Still, thats not too bad. My brother remembers going to a buddies house in March or April one year and the Christmas tree was still up. I guess it was his friend's job to take it down, and there was some kind of a stand-off with his parents over it. Thats parenting, folks. Sticking to your guns in the face of having people come over and see that your tree is still up long after the daffodils have risen is really, really showing that kid who's boss. I'm not really criticizing, just making a joke. I think his friend turned out fine, so I'm sure they were doing the right thing.
There really isn't a more contentious issue than parenting, is there. Everyone thinks their way is the best way and that everyone else is setting their kids up for needing years of therapy later on in life. I personally think that there is no one right way. You just need to know your child, and trust your instincts, and don't let other people tell you you are doing it wrong if your gut tells you you are doing it right. Easier said than done, for sure. There also isn't an issue (except maybe pregnancy) over which people feel more comfortable giving you their unsolicited advice and criticism. I especially love it when it comes from people who don't have kids (Alex). I do admit to remembering witnessing certain scenes in grocery stores and other public places, pre-kids, and thinking "Whoa, is that person a horrible parent or what." I used to almost always side with the kid in my mind, thinking that the parent had done something nasty to them and thats why they were rolling on the floor in the cereal isle screaming like a banshee. Little did I know that it was probably because the kid was insisting on the Chocolate Covered Frosted Chemical Laden Sugar Bombs, and the parent quite reasonably had said no. Well, live and learn, they say, and live and learn I have. Now, I almost always side with the parent, as I have been there myself more than once.
Well, I kind of lied when I said I had taken the tree down. The decorations are off and put away, but the tree is still standing there. I was just so excited to have gotten that far that I had to sit down and blog about it. So, I'd better move on and finish the job, or it will be April and the tree will still be up, and I won't even have a stand-off with a teenager to blame for it!
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