I was watching some silly movie the other night where Jim Carrey’s character takes a self-help course where you are are supposed to say yes to anything anyone requests of you. Of course, this leads to all sorts of comedic shenanigans and the hijinks ensue.
But I was thinking that rather than saying “yes” to everything, I should take a page from my kids’ books and just say “I don’t know” to everything. It seems to work really well for them and absolves them from responsibility for, well, just about everything.
Me: Where are your shoes?
Child: Ummmm I don’t know
Me: Where are my good scissors that I let you use the other day?
Child: Ummmm I don’t know.
Me: Do you need to do this worksheet I found in your backpack?
Child: Ummmm I don’t know.
Me: Why on earth did you (insert undesirable behavior here)?
Child: Ummmm I don’t know.
I think you get the general idea. Since they don’t know anything, they are OFF. THE. HOOK. I find out about the worksheet and eventually locate the scissors and unearth the shoes and come up with some explanation for the undesirable behavior.
But what if *I* was the one answering “I don’t know” all the time?
Child: Mom, what’s for dinner?
Me: I don’t know (I no longer need to think about dinner…I WIN!)
Child: Mom, where my sneakers?
Me: I don’t know (I no longer have to hunt for shoes…YAY!)
Child: Mom, can I get a (insert toy, gadget, clothing item)?
Me: I don’t know (I don’t even have to come up with a reason for saying no!!!)
Child: Hey Mom, are we going to Disney World this summer?
Me: I don’t know (I can put off planning a summer vacation!!!)
Child: Mom, can you drive me to (insert location)?
Me: I don’t know (I never have to drive anyone anywhere ever again unless I feel like it…WOOO!!!)
Child: Mom, can I (insert anything that doesn’t involve bodily harm or the police)?
Me: I don’t know (I don’t even have to THINK! This is SO awesome.)
Child: But whyyyyy can’t I stay up later tonight?
Me: I don’t know (This is what WINNING really looks like!)
So, there’s the plan…
I might market it as an e-book to start and then parlay it into a vast self-help empire where I teach people of the joys of… (say it with me!) I DON’T KNOW!!!!
I’m So Sick of Lazy, Spineless Parents and Their Bratty Kids. There. I Said It.
Do kids have the right to not be touched by other kids if they don’t want to be?
When I frame it like that, I’m pretty sure most people would give a resounding yes. In fact, I think anyone who isn’t some kind of freak would say “Absolutely!”
And yet, when I asked someone to keep the kids in her charge from pushing my kid around, I got the old “Boys will be boys” line.
Really? So, based on that logic, it would be okay if it was a boy or a man touching a girl or woman against her will? How about pinching her? How about kneeing her from behind? How about a good old fashioned shove?
That’s all okay because they’re male and that’s just how boys and men are?
Pfffft…RIGHT.
As those folksy politicians love to say… That dog don’t hunt.
Here’s the backstory…
My son plays in a recreational basketball league. He’s about average size and weight for his age (7). The other boys are similar with minor variations but there are a couple of twins that are notably taller and bigger and I suspect they are either on the late end of six or possibly seven as they are a grade lower than my son. Another huge kid is eight already. How they are all on the same team, I have no idea.
My son is very mild mannered, easygoing, friendly and kind. He gets along with everyone and makes friends wherever he goes. He is NOT aggressive, obnoxious or the kind of kid that goes around pushing, pinching or shoving other kids. That’s not to say he won’t engage in some wrestling and sparring with his friends but those are activities where there are two willing participants.
Every week at basketball practice, I see both of those twins constantly putting their hands on other kids. I don’t get the sense that it’s totally malicious but when you go and pinch someone when they’re running alongside you minding their own business, it’s probably not going to be well-received.
When you take your place in line and intentionally shove the kid in front of you and make them run into the person in front of them, it’s f#$%ing obnoxious and uncalled for.
When you run up behind someone and knee them in the back, you’re crossing the line as far as this mom is concerned.
Never mind that they will block and take balls from kids on their own team during a game. Never mind that if they want a ball at practice they will just take one from someone else.
Those things suck and reek of poor sportsmanship but they’re not really hurting anyone.
But the other stuff? I watch it happen every week. Once when my son tried to tell the coach one of the twins was pinching him repeatedly during drills, the coach blew it off. I told my son the next time someone puts their hands on him, he should get right in their face and yell at them to knock it off but he’s not a yeller and even when he does speak up, nobody hears him in a loud gym full of bouncing balls.
So…I watched it happen again today and I’d had enough. My son doesn’t cry or complain about it but the fact that everyone blows it off is sending a message that I don’t want him to internalize:
It’s okay for people to cross your personal boundaries, put their hands on you and hurt you and no one is going to do anything about it. You have no choice but to take it.
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