JF and Shane around 2012

I ran after my parent’s car. Wet and salty teats in my mouth.  My sister turned 16 and they were taking her out to a birthday dinner without my brother and me.  I ripped my favorite pink square polka-dot dress. I screamed.  They drove away. They took her to Kwan’s restaurant, a Chinese restaurant where my family went often. My dad was close friends with the owner.  Tonight I was not included in my sister’s birthday celebration and I felt awful. My sister did not want the kids around.

Nights without our parents could be fun. My older brother would turn off the sound to his awful baseball or football games. We listened to classical music while watching sports. He got to watch his sports and we got to laugh. I learned that staying at home is better than going out with my parents, sometimes. This included TV dinners. Mom only brought those out when she went out. To this day I love TV dinners.

I have a niece and nephew on my husband’s side of the family that are the worst of the worst, they are down and out rotten tomatoes. Even my high and mighty mother-in –law ignores them. I avoid them at all costs. Our great-grandmother said,

“Jim and Jane are so spoiled. They are embarrassing to be with!”

My kids are good kids to be around with adults. They are shy and introverted.  They don’t even mind siting at the little kid’s table during Thanksgiving dinner, but then again neither do I. Adults can get pretty full of themselves.

In conclusion I would like to repeat something a nice church elder told me,

“It just isn’t Sunday morning at church, if there aren’t some kids crying on the pews!”

The motto of this little commentary is,

“ Don’t be afraid to use the word “no” when it comes to bad kids or bad parents, while remembering to give a special treat to those human beings that behave themselves.”