Phil, man, that is sad when an "I Love you" can't reach a drug deadened mind.
At 10:03 PM 12/17/03 -0700, you wrote:
>I know I am getting old, I mean, older, but regardless, things have
>certainly changed. The only people I knew growing up with tattoos were
>those men who had been in World War Two. We only had one couple in the
>neighborhood who was divorced and nobody talked about it either. There were
>a couple of people in our neighborhood who smoked cigarettes but that was
>all. I can remember one or two times our parents went some place and hired
>a baby sitter to watch my sister and I at home. Otherwise, we always went
>with our parents no matter where they went. My father did not believe in
>eating in a restaurant on Sundays and we never did nor was I allowed to play
>on Sundays with any of my friends except rarely. So, I pretty much lived a
>sheltered life I guess. When Sandy and I married, we didn't have the same
>Sunday rules for our children and we ate out often. However, I can only
>think of two times we allowed others to watch our children while we went
>some place without them and both times were disasters. Otherwise, if where
>we were going, our kids couldn't come along, we simply did not go. Some
>time ago, a friend of mine, a very close friend of mine, was lecturing Sandy
>and I on how to raise our children. The kids were young but Gretchen began
>giving us trouble when she was very young and it got progressively worse as
>she grew older. this friend of mind was divorced and had three children.
>He helped his X wife out financially but she made better money than he did.
>He kept in touch with his kids and always tried to pick them up for church
>on Sunday. During his lecture on how we should be better parents, I calmly
>pointed out to him that he was really a part time parent because his kids
>lived with their mom. He, on the other hand, came and went as he pleased.
>He admitted he had never looked at it that way and that I was right. I
>wasn't criticizing him, you understand, but I was pointing out that we lived
>with our children 24 seven, as they say, and it was different. He agreed.
>I have been thinking of this recently because of our daughter. She shows up
>for an hour or two each day and normally calls once a day to talk to her
>kids. Otherwise, that's it. Today she left, after not much more than an
>hour being with her 4 year old, and walked to the bus stop which is almost
>in front of our house. Little Taylor ran to the door and told me he wanted
>to tell his mom something so I let him. He opened the door and pushed open
>the storm glass door and called out for his mom. She answered him and he
>said, "I love you." I almost began crying. His voice was sad because his
>mom was leaving him. I played with him and wrestled with him for awhile
>after she left but playing with your grandpa isn't the same as your mom
>being home. I thank God that every time I came home from school, regardless
>of the time of day, my mom was always there. I can never remember a time
>she wasn't at home when I walked into the house. I don't care how poor you
>are or how little you have, if you have children, they want you more than
>anything else. I was also thinking recently of gifts because of the season.
>The best gift my father ever gave me was a wooden airplane he cut on the
>table saw and nailed together all in about two minutes. I loved that plane
>and played with it until I wore it out. I have told my daughter she is less
>than a part time parent now but the drugs and alcohol have already deadened
>her reasoning ability. Today, when her son called out to her and told her
>he loved her, if it had been me, my heart would of melted and I would have
>come back into the house and promised God and the president and the governor
>and the mayor and anybody else I could think of that my kids were going to
>come first no matter what. My daughter needs a lot of prayer because her
>drugs and alcohol and friends have become more important to her than her own
>boys.
>
>Phil.
John
You know you're in trouble when you call your answering
service and they tell you it's none of your business.<*>
|