Certified Translations

[mox 298]

We're not planning on having kids anytime soon. (Knocking on all the wood in the house right now.) But I don't really see how having kids or not having kids would really change my views. It may change my practice, but it shouldn't change my views. I may "compromise" my own views a little more but it shouldn't change any of my moral convictions.

Sure. I never changed my moral convictions either. But I did change my notions of how a child should be brought up, and those notions changed continuously over the course of them growing up. That doesn't mean I got wishy-washy, just that kids will constantly surprise you, and it's always a challenge to find what works. It's actually a shame that by the time we are parenting experts, we've worked ourselves out of a job. Flexibility is key...not just being flexible with your kids, but flexible in your child-raising methodologies.

On the kids note, a husband and wife are equal. They share power, they squabble over power, they (should!) respect each other's power. Kids are not equal. It is important for them to know (and be reminded) that they are not the most important part of the family. Too many people today put their kids first and their marriage second. That is incorrect. If you put your marriage first then the kids will follow because part of having a good marriage is the surrounding family's happiness as a byproduct of the husband and wife's happiness.

I think this is a pretty healthy way of looking at it. I always told my kids "this is not a democracy," but we also didn't run a dictatorship. It's a balance, and you'll often find yourself dropping the balls and trying something else that works better.

[BluesTraveler 0]

I always told my kids

There are little Mox's in the world!!! Damn!!!

[mox 298]

[Brad and Vika 129]

Trust me, if you had a teen you would argue with him/her. Often.

I assume you've heard the ad for the "Total Transformation Package" from James Lehman --- they guy who says he can stop all of the lying, arguing, and back-talking from your kids in about 45 seconds.

Not sure what Lehman proposes to do--- but I imagine the Slim version would be --- put a .45 to their head and give 'em the classic, "I brought you into this world -- I can also take you out!" ---- That'll shut 'em up!

That still sounds like an argument to me, albeit a one-sided argument.

We're not planning on having kids anytime soon. (Knocking on all the wood in the house right now.) But I don't really see how having kids or not having kids would really change my views. It may change my practice, but it shouldn't change my views. I may "compromise" my own views a little more but it shouldn't change any of my moral convictions.

Sure. I never changed my moral convictions either. But I did change my notions of how a child should be brought up, and those notions changed continuously over the course of them growing up. That doesn't mean I got wishy-washy, just that kids will constantly surprise you, and it's always a challenge to find what works. It's actually a shame that by the time we are parenting experts, we've worked ourselves out of a job. Flexibility is key...not just being flexible with your kids, but flexible in your child-raising methodologies.

On the kids note, a husband and wife are equal. They share power, they squabble over power, they (should!) respect each other's power. Kids are not equal. It is important for them to know (and be reminded) that they are not the most important part of the family. Too many people today put their kids first and their marriage second. That is incorrect. If you put your marriage first then the kids will follow because part of having a good marriage is the surrounding family's happiness as a byproduct of the husband and wife's happiness.

I think this is a pretty healthy way of looking at it. I always told my kids "this is not a democracy," but we also didn't run a dictatorship. It's a balance, and you'll often find yourself dropping the balls and trying something else that works better.

Nothing at all wrong with a benevolent dictatorship where kids are concerned.

[mendeleev 68]

Okay folks, write this date on you daytimer, Mox and I agree. This is not a big deal, give her this one. If you are wrong and her particular interviewer requires the notary, you are sunk for the rest of your life and will never ever ever hear the end of this; spend the few rubles and let her win. Agree, pick you battles. Any former or current parent of a teenager knows this!

Hehe ...I didn't realize we disagreed so much, so to keep the streak going...we disagree here. He won't be wrong, and the interviewer will never want them notarized. It just aint gonna happen, so he could just make his fiancee suffer through the period leading up to the interview, and she'd eventually find out that she worried needlessly. Not a course of action I'd recommend, but it's certainly an option available.

I think the typical experience is that she will ask about it being notarized, you'll tell her it doesn't need to be, she'll make some "are you sure?" noises, but eventually she'll just shrug it off with a "you're the boss."

I do not recommend the "relax baby, I've done this a dozen times!" approach. Just sayin'.

Umm. Why not?

[Thomas-n-Elena 0]

I always told my kids

There are little Mox's in the world!!! Damn!!!

Uh Oh

Look Slim "Breeders" hehehe

I shouldnt be pokin fun cuz I have a little tyrant in my house and I dont mean my wife.

[slim 1,514]

I assume you've heard the ad for the "Total Transformation Package" from James Lehman --- they guy who says he can stop all of the lying, arguing, and back-talking from your kids in about 45 seconds.

Not sure what Lehman proposes to do--- but I imagine the Slim version would be --- put a .45 to their head and give 'em the classic, "I brought you into this world -- I can also take you out!" ---- That'll shut 'em up!

I have heard that commercial and wondered what this miracle cure is.

I had a buddy in high school whose dad was a cop. He kept telling his dad that it wouldn't hurt if he got shot becuase he has a bullet proof vest. Well, dad took him out in the back yard, put the vest on him and shot him. Shot his own freaking kid! Needless to say that guy didn't backtalk or question his dad any more.

Although... I doubt a .45 to the head would work becuase kids are pretty resourceful and dad has to sleep sometime.

It's actually a shame that by the time we are parenting experts, we've worked ourselves out of a job.

I have a 10-year-old little brother so my mom's literally been raising kids for 30 years and still has at least eight more to go. The transformation that she's made from when I was little to what she does with him now is amazing. She's often apologized for "not knowing what she was doing" with me and my sister (2 years younger than me) but having it all figured out by the time my little bros were growing up. (All at least 10+ years younger - and from different dad/happy marriage.)

While I won't stop short from "armchair quarterbacking" parents, I will at least acknowledge that sometimes they are placed in difficult positions and I can understand why they'd compromise. It would just be nice if parents today were reminded that they were the parents, not society, the TV, Charles Barkley ("I am not a role model."), etc. Back when I was growing up, you could maybe make some compromise with your parents, but only after they broke the yardstick or whatever else they used. Once their "tools of persuasion" were gone, there was a lot more compromising going on!

I think this is a pretty healthy way of looking at it. I always told my kids "this is not a democracy," but we also didn't run a dictatorship. It's a balance, and you'll often find yourself dropping the balls and trying something else that works better.

It's not a cheerocracy, it's a cheertatorship! Spirit fingers!

Seriously, kids need to know that while they're part of the family, they're not the most important part. There tends to be this trend, especially around the teenage years, where life starts to revolve around the kids, and that's not correct. Life should incorporate and accomodate them, but the focus of the marriage shouldn't be on kids, it should be on husband and wife.

Look Slim "Breeders" hehehe

I shouldnt be pokin fun cuz I have a little tyrant in my house and I dont mean my wife.

There are a lot of folks out there who think because they've successfully bred, they're "more important" now and/or entitled to some sort of special treatment. They think they've done something with their life.

I strongly disagree. Plus, I'm pretty sure that as crazy as I am, plus as crazy as my wife is, our kids would be crazy to the 4th power.