Raising Childrens

Here's the big problem with talking about children when you technically haven't any to call your own. (Sure I could STEAL some but then I couldn't tell anyone about them which would defeat the whole credibility thing I'm going for) You always get responses like "You think you have plans, but they'll all go out the window once you have kids!" I find these responses amusing because they come from people who have "Oh $#!+" babies. The ones who slept together after senior prom, or because one of them was a migrant worker and the other one felt like they could make love with no consequences.... And BAM there they are, all pregnified and stuff! They NEVER had a plan, and here they are telling me my plans are no good.

I understand that you can't perfectly predict your children, they have this really great knack for throwing you for a loop the moment you think you have them figured out. But the fact that I know this immediately puts me ahead of the "I got knocked up in highschool by a guy I didn't really like that much" crowd. Sorry if I offend. That being said, there's nothing wrong with planning. In fact planning and re-planning once real life shatters your cute plans is one thing I do really well.

My plan is to build a list... a list of qualities that make up a great character in a human being, one that is sophisticated enough that I could use it for myself if I weren't so hypocritical. Then go thorugh and flesh it out with examples of what these qualities look like when you live them at different ages. For example, when you are five years old, generosity looks like sharing your popcicle with your friend, when you are ten, you let your buddy ride your bike, when you're 16 you drive people around in your car, when you're 20, you spend time with people who look up to you, when you are 30 you give to charities, and spend time with people you don't like, when you are 40, you take care of your parents even though they are senile and a pain in your @$$, and at 60, you give candybars to creeped out teenagers that aren't even your grandchild. That kind of thing, basing it all off the Bible.

Why do I want to do this? Because I get tired of the parental "because I said so" BS that they expect their kids to swallow, while they themselves balk at other adults that use this logic on them. If they don't buy it why do they think it's good enough for their children? Do they think their children are stupid? Or are they stupid? I don't think "because I said so" is good enough for anything, even if it's for your child's good. Let's compare:

Why can't I hang out with suzie? "Because I said so" Gee when you put it that way, mom, I suddenly realize the vast wisdom you posess and will respectfully tell suzie I cannot hang out with her.

Compare to:

Why can't I hang out with Suzie? "For safety, to begin with, For your witness for another, For Sobriety, for self control, for modesty, and because Suzie is an arrogant little whore whose parents let her drink, smoke, and abort the children she concieves with half-sober morons of boys she lies to and calls men" Wow, that's harsh, but I really can't argue, because it is sadly true. You suck Suzie.

See the difference?

This is one of the many things I want to give my children. I want to give them reason, I want to give them truth, I want to give them standards big enough to last them their whole lives, standards that they can call me to account with, standards big enough that mom and dad come and apologise when they fail to live up to them, because the standards are right, given by the only one with real authority over our souls.

But hey, what do I know, I'm just the guy proving you wrong about the first year of marriage being horrible, and that you fall out of love after five years.