Sounds romantic doesn’t it?
Well, what if I told you it’s the name of my latest parenting trick? You’d be right, it’d be an indication my skills as mom suffer from an unprofessional, unsystematic, nearly epileptic wailing at problems trying to find any solution to whatever the latest issue might be.
That’s right. Recently I’ve been exceedingly irritated by my children’s (mostly my son, actually) inability to fend for themselves in any way, shape or form.
Picture this: McDonald’s (yes, I realize this is a mortal parenting sin in itself, but I’m going with the "if they have access to it, they won’t abuse it later" theory on this one), just pulling away from pick-up window.
Jake–teeth clenched, spit flying from between loose teeth. "I can’t get my pirate open. Mooooommmmm can you open this?????"
Me–"Come on Jake. You can get that open. Stick your fingers into the plastic and pull."
Jake–grunts, pretends to pull, and throws himself against his seat in frustration.
Me–immature eyeroll he may or may not have seen in the rearview mirror. "Are you telling me, Jake Shoop, if you were on a desert Island with no one but yourself and that pirate in his plastic prison that you’d wait for him to mysteriously come to life and sword-fight his way out of the thin polymer coating instead of ripping into it yourself? That’s what you’re telling me?"
Jake–"Whaaaaatttt?" Mouth hanging open.
Me–Exactly. "Go desert island baby…"
Do you see the way I deftly ignore his confusion, act as if he knows exactly what I mean and rudely press him to pretend he’s been abandoned and must fend for himself? It’s genius in its clumsiness, don’t you think? And truthfully, since going desert island at McDonald’s, I’ve been shocked that the principle works in scenarios like, cooking over open fire, changing car tires, sewing buttons on shirts, I mean how could I have waited so long to see the light?
And before you get on your high horses about my parenting, take a look at this woman’s grand plan. Hers is similar, though it involves her nine year old riding a New York subway alone…this lady would love me.
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23935873/
Okay, honestly, this woman would spit on my motherhood if she could, but at least we know there’s room for all kinds. Now back to my pina colada. I’m going Caribbean (sp?) Island while the kids are at school. That’s allowable, right? No need to clean that floor when the kids can do it, right? Right.
I think you’re a genius, and I’ll be stealing the Desert Island tactic for my own machinations.
Jaye, feel free go Desert Island. It can only lead to capable young people who can function in the world. It is a grand idea…I admit it.
I’m already Desert Island. When it comes to household tasks there’s pretty much nothing the kids can’t manage and I don’t have to pay for a cleaning lady.
Gonna miss that when they grow up and move out.
But riding a subway by themselves? My husband said he did it all the time…but I admit it – I won’t even let them walk the dog by themselves. They always have to bring each other.
Hey Mindy, Desert Island all the time, eh? You’ll have to give a talk on that one…Perhaps something along the lines of “seeing your offspring as the cheap labor they are…” hahahaha
Oh, yes! I should have known we were in the same club! I do things like this all the time. I always point out that wimps who need mommies to do things like open packages and provide each and every meal (bear in mind that mine are teenagers) also need to be kissed and hugged in front of the school gate. That always does the trick.
I love it that this made the news! In Japan a few years back, there was an awful incident where a young man hijacked a bus and killed a few people. An unaccompanied six-year-old was on the bus, on the way to see relatives. The foreign community were appalled by this bit of news, but the fact is that thousands of six-year-olds take subways, buses and trains every single day, all by themselves.
hey i’m jake shoop too
Hey Jake Shoop, glad to meet you.