Oh thanks Phil, now I'm really looking forward to next
weekend!  GROAN!  Greg and I have already started discussing what if,
sanarios   You know, like, what should we do if Chris shows up in a
borrowed car next weekend when we know that, in order to drive, he
was doing it illegally since he doesn't have insurance and he hasn't
replaced his license.  Greg has asked, what do we do if, next Sunday,
after dinner, he tells us he has no place to go because he hasn't
paid the rent?  I'm wondering how I will deal with my anger if he
wants to leave as soon as he gets his presents, or if he is
ungrateful because we didn't get him what he wanted, or didn't spend
enough on him.  I don't even think about this stuff with the other
three kids!  With them, I'm just looking forward to a fun day.  Chris
has the potential to be the sticking point.
         By the way, this message was written by a sister,  abusive
mother who, according to Chris, treated him like a slave when he was
young.  I guess that chores are slave labor now.  Boy Phil, can I relate!!
Kathy


At 12:24 PM 12/18/2005, you wrote:
>We started our Christmas out as it often has come down and that is, with
>Gretchen, when asked to put up a small two foot tall Christmas tree on our
>entertainment center.  When she was asked to help, since our youngest son
>had helped by doing some grocery and Christmas shopping, she got home last
>night at almost 11:30 and a few minutes later, she came upstairs.  She did
>something in the kitchen for awhile, so when I got up this morning, I hunted
>for the Christmas tree and Christmas decorations.
>There were absolutely none to be found.  Later, when a good old Scovell
>holiday fight broke out, Gretchen informed us we forced her, at age nine, to
>begin putting up our Christmas tree.  Boy, I wish I had a dime for every
>freaking Christmas tree I had, when our children were little, that I had to
>cut the base evenly, get put into the base stand, and work with to get it
>straight.  Then I well remember all those times, crawling around under the
>tree trying to pour water into the base to keep the thing alive.
>Admittedly, I was a little younger and a little slimmer then than I am now
>but today is the first time I realized how abusive Sandy and I were to our
>children around Christmas.  Gretchen said that every Christmas she has been
>forced to put up the tree.  I hope, at our age, we don't get arrested for
>child abuse.  Let this be a lesson to you.  Don't have Christmas with your
>older adult, I stress the word adult, children who still have a bad
>attitude.  They will screw it up every time.  This is far from our first, by
>the way, so I know where of I speak.
>
>Phil.
>
>
>And God Divided The Light From The Darkness
>www.SafePlaceFellowship.com