Children, no matter the age or gender, are an agrivaiting blessing to say the least. It doesn't help matters when I have 5 to contend with.
My oldest son ( 23 yr old ) is by far the worst example of my parenting skills. Until we closed the store in 2001, he had never worked for anyone but me( let's revise that to say he had never collected a paycheck from anyone other than me, work seems too strong of a word.....) He has since discovered that employers want labor in exchange for pay, and with his lack of post secondary education, he is required to provide physical labor for that pay.
He tried working for a local beverage distributor, 12 hour days and 6 day weeks burned him out rather rapidly. Commission sales didn't fit his lifestyle either when he found that a draw is collected against commissions and his sales didn't exceed that draw.
Now I am paying for him to go to community college to earn a degree (AA) in Welding Technology(?)and he works part-time in a print shop( earning beer and gas money) I was sooo pissed when one of the first classes he took was Golf101. What in hell made him think I would support him playing golf ( with my clubs), it's a PE credit I'm told. Argh.
1st daughter is not much better, she's in the Navy, living it up in San Diego, trying her damnedest to get married. At 20 yrs old I completely disagree with the notion of young love ( she is a product thereof) and feel that it is an irreversible mistake( just ask her mother, or her mothers lawyer ). I am way too young to be a grandfather.
2nd daughter is the middle child prodigy, full ride ROTC scholarship to Med school, finally from under the protective wing of her mother, oh but wait, her mom has sold her home and moved closer to that daughters school. Poor girl will never get away from mom, thank goodness I did.
Now enter THE TEENAGER, 14 yr old son full of angst, 1st year of high school, smokin' in the boys room, blowin off homework, failing one honors class yet maintaining a 99 avg in another, says the teacher doesn't like him, met with her and he's right , she doesn't like him. But he's got to learn the life lesson that everybody is not going to like you so adapt. Pass the damn course and move on, despite her.
Boy Scouts is his only outlet until the grades improve, he seems OK with that restriction, and really gets into scouting....the jury is still out on him.....
3rd daughter, the innocent actress, god she seems sweeter, smarter, and more manipulative than all the rest combined. Found out this past spring she has diabetes, never in the family, total surprise to all, she has adjusted well. Maintains her insulin, checks her sugar fairly often, and milks it for all she can( and should I guess)Her latest desire are these damned BRATZ ( oh, she's 8) I have yet to understand the appeal of these multiracial, big headed, rag wearing, dolls. They all look like charactors on MTV. ( oh that's the appeal !!)
She now has 8 of these things ( did I mention she was spoiled) and has abandoned her massive collection of Barbies ( hummm, we swapped anorexia for assimilation, is this a good thing?) She plays with them while watching the Disney Channel, which seems to certainly be promoting the multiracial assimilation program.

I shouldn't complain ? All 5 are pretty well adjusted, no criminal convictions, no grandchildren, no terrible habits, some are lazy at worst, but all are pretty decent kids, so far......Now if I could get my oldest to marry that nurse he's been living with, she could take up payments on him................