<p>
</p>
<p>Dad: Did you buy the posterboard when we were at Staple’s four hours ago?</p>
<p>Son: No, I didn’t think of it then.</p>
<p>Dad: Wow. Sucks to be you, doesn’t it?</p>
<ol>
<li>Roll their eyes</li>
<li>Smirk when I think I am imparting wisdom</li>
<li>Say “Mom” as though the history of all that is wrong with the world can be voiced in that one syllable</li>
<li>Roll their eyes again</li>
</ol>
<p>There’s actually a post based on something I said. I’m really moving up in the world :). Am I the only one who finds it ironic that many of the parents trying to justify the right to brag about their children’s achievements are now openly discussing the negative aspects of their kids? I guess little Johnny who has a perfect SAT score and is ranked #1 in his class doesn’t clean his room. What a bummer.</p>
<p>Hepstar. No. We are just capable of unconditional love. Which means we love to distraction even those little suckers who annoy the bejesus out of us. Your post was not ironic. It was sarcastic…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.</p>
<p>I think the sense of timing gene doesn’t manifest itself until late in adulthood. Countless times I warn my D that the homework, paper, research project etc takes TIME but she invariably reassures me that she will have it done in 1/4 of the time is really takes. Of course her prediction is always wrong, and after the panic, desperation, sleepless nights, and omg “I’ll like never do this again” and having to admit her mom was right, gag, it ALWAYS happens again. The ongoing cycle makes me tear my hair out. Yet this is the same kid that can be out of bed, showered and ready in 20 seconds if something fun is planned.</p>
<p>It’s that danged frontal lobe, the planning center, not fully developed until age 23. As a result, kids go all the way through high school and college at a disadvantage, from a planning POV.</p>
<p>Now people are starting to play the morality card against me. My goodness, you’re making me feel like Scrooge 
(this is sarcasm, my last post wasn’t). I am not telling you not to love your kids. I have no right to. However, I just find it a bit strange that people laud their kids one minute, then profess what they think is wrong with them the next instant. Sometimes, you parents change your opinions more often than Elizabeth Taylor changed husbands. </p>
<p>I actually like the idea of this thread. It shows that every kid is human. All you see on this site is stuff about kids with great academic credentials and outstanding ECs. You sometimes forget that these “super-students” have their faults. I myself have some faults and would like to share some of them:</p>
<p>1.) I am a big-time procrastinator. </p>
<p>2.) I can sometimes be quite lazy, especially when I’m not interested in something.</p>
<p>3.) I am a self-proclaimed introvert.</p>
<p>4.) I am typing this post when I should be studying for an AP History Test.</p>
<p>The list could go on and on.</p>
<p>Marian - My D fell out of a hammock on a science trip and got a concussion the week before her big sports event (and probably for the same reason as your son fell out of the hotel bed). Oh well.</p>
<p>Right now, most of the time when she does annoying things, I quickly get overwhelmed with the thought of how much I’ll miss her next year. Oh well.</p>
<p>I’m a student. I own a t-shirt with this saying (and wear it proudly):</p>
<p>Always put off until tomorrow what could be done today because tomorrow is never guaranteed and therefore you may not have to do it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s not strange at all. It’s just a matter of having perspective.</p>
<p>Our kids have their strong points, and they also have their weaknesses. So do we. It’s OK to speak openly about both aspects of a person. We’re not changing our opinions. We’re having both opinions at the same time. We can be royally fed up with a kid at exactly the same time that we are very proud of something else about the same kid.</p>
<p>Also, we are suitably impressed that you even know who Elizabeth Taylor is.</p>
<p>The times when I find my children most annoying are also the moments when they most resemble my young self. It’s my mother’s curse: “may you have children just like you.”</p>
<p>I didn’t realize that it was such an achievement that I know who Elizabeth Taylor is. She happens to be quite famous. </p>
<p>As for the whole “we parents have multiple opinions” issue, I always thought that each person has one opinion. In other words, you have to take a stand on an issue. You can’t just dance around an subject. Take the presidental elections for example. Most people either voted for Bush or Kerry, not both. You can’t tell the ballot box “I support Mr. Bush 75%, but put 25% of a vote in for Mr. Kerry.” Your opinion has to be uniform. You may think of me as a jerk, but at least I can honestly say that my beliefs aren’t ambiguous and are “set in stone.”</p>
<p>“Your opinion has to be uniform. You may think of me as a jerk, but at last I can honestly say that my opinions aren’t ambiguous and are “set in stone.””</p>
<p>Not a jerk - just young.</p>
<p>I love my kids to bits - does not mean there are not things about them that annoy me. They also love me - and I know I annoy the heck out of them sometimes.</p>
<p>Taking a visible stand on an issue has nothing to do with age. People of all ages do it, whether it be a 5th grader who feels that a classroom should get new desks or a 70 yr old who thinks seniors should have better access to prescription medication. Age is all relative. In the grand scheme of things, we are all human beings. </p>
<p>Although it is a bit vulgar, one of my favorte quotes of all time is this (I’ll censor it for anyone who might be offended):</p>
<p>“Opinions are like #$%holes, everyone has one.” This statement couldn’t be more true.</p>
<p>Opinions need not be uniform. If I support Mr. Bush’s views and policies on most issues but not all, I might still vote for him, even though I only support him 75%. After all, I have to choose one candidate or the other, right? I don’t expect any candidate to agree with my views 100%.</p>
<p>Similarly, I can admire the very sophisticated paper that my college-student son wrote for his philosophy class, which he showed me during Thanksgiving vacation, while at the same time being irritated with the fact that he managed to forget to bring his winter coat with him when he went back to school at the end of that vacation. His absentmindedness doesn’t change my opinion of the paper, which was really very good, and the fact that I really liked the paper doesn’t cancel out the fact that I felt irritated because I had to ship him the coat. </p>
<p>As for Elizabeth Taylor, most of her work – and most of the publicity surrounding her personal life – was decades in the past. She faded from the limelight a while ago. I suspect that many young people don’t know who she is. I was impressed that you do know.</p>
<p>So Hepstar - are you saying that the people you love or like have to be perfect in every way or you no longer love or like them? You cannot care about someone if they have any faults? That is the impression you are giving. The people I care about I care about ‘warts and all’ - and hopefully they are the same with me. I know I am not perfect - and I don’t expect my kids to be either. Doesn’t mean I don’t think the world of them.</p>
<p>Hepstar, there is nothing more wonderful in life that being a parent, bragging and criticizing our kids come together, they are always perfect for us no matter what, even their messy rooms and the last minute homework enlighten our lives. Dont be mad with us, one day you will be a parent and you will remember us ;)</p>
<p>You know, I’m actually starting to enjoy this “myself vs. CC parents” battle that is materializing. Posting in the parents forum is actually more “fun” than the other forums because most of the other CC high school students just want to talk about how smart they are. If I had a dollar for every kid w/a 2300 who asks to be chanced, I would never have to get a job. These kids are too hard on themselves. </p>
<p>Instead of this whole opinion issue, let’s return to the original topic of this post, shall we. Since I’m not a parent, I’ll describe my younger brother’s issues:</p>
<p>1.) He is an even bigger procrastinator than I am. For the Thanksgiving weekend, he was assigned a 250 page book and didn’t start it until 8:00 Sunday night. </p>
<p>2.) He eats everything in sight. He eats more than me and I’m 4 years older than him. When he is waiting for a meal, he eats another meal. It is a good thing he is growing because he would be pretty hefty if he wasn’t. </p>
<p>3.) Whenever something doesn’t go his way, it is almost like he shuts down all communication with the outside world for about 10 minutes. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, he is still my brother and we are great friends. I couldn’t think of another person I’d rather play video games with or throw a football to than him. Our close relationship is one of the reasons why I don’t want to go away for college. Yes, I do in fact have a sensitive side that I’m not afraid to show.</p>
<p>I bought this poster for my S’s dorm room wall and it actually graced said wall his sophomore year. Then he didn’t leave enough time to pack up his room before his father arrived to bring him home at the end of the year and he accidentally left the poster on the wall. :rolleyes: It was probably useful for the next student. (No, I don’t have any connection to the company. I just find their product hilarious.)
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