When parenthood gets REAL

Yesterday I explained to Miniboss with varying degrees of success both what happened on 9/11 and why her friend from school has brown skin.

Jesus how old is she?

Four but a precocious four.

my 11yo nephew went through a 9/11 obsession a couple of years ago that led to his internet activity being more closely monitored/temporarily curtailed.

highlights (?) included a Birthday card for his Grandpa that featured a drawing of Edna Cintron waving from the impact zone and, even more disturbingly, he was caught subjecting his sister to a quite lengthy, verbatim recital of the Kevin Cosgrove 911 call.

My sister-in-law was pretty freaked out but my bro was all "he's just like his uncle".

Somewhat related story:

When I was teaching English in Japan, the municipal school district for which I worked used an junior high school English language textbook which was, by that point, more than a little out of date.  One lesson was on New York City and still (as of 2006, somehow) featured a picture of the World Trade Center.  Very strange to deal with, trust me.

One day, as I was walking around a classroom and making sure the little fuckers were toeing the line, I noticed that one of the "bad kids" had used a pen to draw planes smashing into the towers.  Flames shooting out and little people plummeting to their deaths, as well.  Pretty intense shit.  I admired his brashness more than I was bothered by it.  When he saw that I'd noticed, he wore a shit-eating grin that, trust me, put Dave Grohl's to shame.

I haven't told her the whole truth yet.  Glossed right over the part where millions died.

At bedtime tonight Miniboss tells me she learned a song at her school today from when I was a kid.  "It goes like this," she says, "I like to move it move it.  I like to move it move it.  I like to move it move it.  I like to MOVE IT!

Brilliant!

My niece's recent end of term show featured a group of slightly obese, very uncoordinated 9-year-old girls dancing to SL2's On A Ragga Tip and The Prodigy's Out Of Space.

Miniboss asks me to show her pictures of things on my phone whenever she is curious about something. Queen Elizabeth, volcanos, the Trevi Fountain, basically whatever crosses her mind or things we read about in her books.

This afternoon while she was using the toilet she asked me if I could show her a picture on my phone of the "inside of a tush."

Are you above the mental pondering of a young gastroenterologist or something, Reuben? I don't get it otherwise...

I told her I don't have photos of THAT on my phone but she did not believe me.

I think the last page of The Monster at the End of This Book will work for your purposes... not 100% sure though, as I never finished it myself, too terrifying.

Having a child who has been a wonderfully curious and enthusiastic student from pre-school through most of 2nd grade & now experiencing that slowly decay as the result of school bullying is at this point the most difficult thing I’ve ever gone through.

Trying to balance acting rational with being at times in a rage is so hard.

Jesus man, that is fucking horrible. I don’t even know what to say other than that I’m pulling for you guys. I’m sure your kid will get through it eventually, and hoping that happens sooner rather than later.

Nick wrote:Having a child who has been a wonderfully curious and enthusiastic student from pre-school through most of 2nd grade & now experiencing that slowly decay as the result of school bullying is at this point the most difficult thing I’ve ever gone through.

Trying to balance acting rational with being at times in a rage is so hard.

And, yet, you think that being a bully online is totally cool and funny.

Marty wrote:And, yet, you think that being a bully online is totally cool and funny.

c'mon marty

Nick wrote:Having a child who has been a wonderfully curious and enthusiastic student from pre-school through most of 2nd grade & now experiencing that slowly decay as the result of school bullying is at this point the most difficult thing I’ve ever gone through.

Trying to balance acting rational with being at times in a rage is so hard.

I've been there. I've seen that show. It turned out okay, the details won't help you any, but there is a young man out there somewhere who is lucky to be alive (actually, no - he's in prison it turns out).

Make sure the kid keeps telling you stuff. It also helps to be on good terms with the school principal, if you can manage that.

Nick wrote:Trying to balance acting rational with being at times in a rage is so hard.

Never has a Mourinho avatar been more appropriate.

You always seem like a good dad, Nick. I'm sure your kid appreciates that so much.

undo wrote:

Marty wrote:And, yet, you think that being a bully online is totally cool and funny.

c'mon marty

I didn't come here to start a war with Nick. And, I won't be posting this sort of post again: i'll avoid him. Initially, I forgot about him, but his recent posts remind me of what a cunt this guy was to a lot of people on SOMB. And, how he thought it was so hilarious on LOPP. Since he posts shit you guys find charming: that's just OK? Those weren't people on SOMB, they were just "objects"? Don't buy it.

Nick is the guy, if memory serves, who came back to LOPP after making fun of somebody on SOMB with mental health issues, who was also suicidal and thought that was really funny? Yeah, Simakos, the worlds nicest human being: who just genuinely loved music deserved to be ostracized, belittled, and stabbed in the back? That's a real bag of funny right there. Ha Ha Ha.

undo, people like you and reuben: no matter how horrible and nasty the group think LOPP mob became: never were horrible or nasty.

So, no, fuck Nick and I'll leave it at that. He's a little fucking pussy who hides behind a computer and doesn't give a shit who he hurts for his own sport.

and soccer fucking sucks

i don't know that he necessarily needs you posting on his behalf, or revealing details about his life that may otherwise have not been known by boarders here (like for instance, me, who considers him a friendly acquaintance and who i see via fb seems to be doing well these days)

Marty I am disappointed with the name calling. Very disappointed.

And I’d like to point out that leaving your example above to one side, my overall contribution to the old message board were much more positive than negative.

Wait, are you saying Simakos killed himself?

I edited his name out of Marty’s post because we shouldn’t abide “doxxing” in this forum.

He's still with us, happily boarding at a non-disclosed forum under a different name.

As an attempt to get back on topic... I just learned I'm gonna be a grampa.