I don't like Hillary Clinton. I'll probably vote for her if she wins the Democratic party presidential nomination, but I don't like her. It's not fair, really, because I don't know her. I don't like her because she reminds me of Ms. Green. 
Ms. Green was one of my elementary school teachers. She was wan and humorless. Granted, I was a pretty awful student in elementary school (and worse in Middle school), but Ms. Green was a robot who represented all I hated about authority. "Conform", she'd say. "Why?", said I. "Because I said", she said. "It's go time!", I thought then (The Pink Floyd image at left was inspired by Mags, who included a "Floyd" link in a comment a month or so ago).I'm pretty ambivalent toward authority. This should strike a note of irony, since I'm a lawyer and a former (part-time) Magistrate. That ambivalence is why I liked Bill, but don't like Hillary. Bill had a quality of mischief that I don't perceive in Hillary. When Bill lies to you, he's winking at you. Kind of like Reagan denying knowledge of trading guns for hostages: you figured he wasn't telling the truth, but dammit the guy had style. Anyway, Hillary, when she's not spinning things, seems a little sanctimonious to me. Which brings me to this morning.
I managed to get the lads up, showered and ready for Church today. This is not an easy thing, particularly since they didn't especially want to go. As my brother, amazing Ultra-Runner, AndyMan, used to say, "I like Church: it reminds me there's something worse than school". Frankly, I wasn't red-hot on the idea myself, but I think bringing kids up in some sort of religious environment is important. Trying to understand the meaning to life, and addressing that part of most of us that wants to understand and commune with the eternal- those are important things. Sanctimonious and superior attitudes are not. Anyway, I leave the videogames and the Sunday paper, and get the Lads to Church. "The Peace" is a transitional part of the Episcopal service where you go from "the lessons" to the Eucharist. The priest says, "the Peace of the Lord be always with you", and where the Parish responds, "and also with you", then greets each other and shakes hands or nods or whatever. Instead of high-fives and pats on the back that I figured I deserved for getting two reluctant adolescents to Church, Sister Smellssomethingbad in the pew (maybe that's what smelled bad. Hee hee. "pew") in front of me gives me a "tut-tut" for the boys' behavior. Okay, they did sock each other a couple of times. A couple. Fairly light punches. Shoot, they didn't even raise any knots. Actually, they were more like jabs that only the gal in front of us noticed. I separated them immediately, and they made not an inappropriate peep thereafter. Here, I suppose I also owe a debt to Chase for his "Kids gone wild (and not in a good way)" post of a coupla weeks ago. Maybe this is a response. It's tough to raise kids. It's especially tough if you are trying to get them inculcated into an authority scene about which you have your own doubts.
27 comments:
Mrs. Green in the Study with the taser.
Kids, it's what's for dinner.
Kids, the other, other, other, rancid meat.
And that's all I have to say about that.
You ever have Ms. Green, Ange? It was Morgan Woods Elementary. Coulda been mom and dad tried the whole private school thing before you got her. Not a with-it teacher. Punished me one time by making me sit in front of the chalkboard. She was between me and the class, and I had a chalkboard. I could- and did- draw pictures of her while she taught. Not real bright.
I like Hillary and hate "The Peace".
Hillary. Well, yes she's a big liar and I'm counting on that. I'm hoping all her anti-NAFTA talk and "get out of Irag, no matter what" is just political posturing. I think Barack means it (kind of).
The Peace. The worst part of church. Hey, old lady with a cold, can't I just say "peace be with you" without having to touch you? Ewww. Same thing goes for communion. Sorry Mr. Priest. Unless you are sanitizing that chalice with a Purel wipe after every drink, it's not happening. Turning the cup around ain't gonna cut it. Sorry, Jesus.
Yeah, sharing a chalice with Slobbering Sammy can be troubling. I've thought about dunking the wafer, but, nah. I've never heard of anyone actually getting sick from communion. It'd be an interesting addition to the prayer list, though: "...and we also ask your prayers for Millie, who caught a nasty virus from taking communion immediately after Bill, of Lading, who'd been on the prayer list for his battle with Swine Flu".
Hey, you can't get sick from the Cha-lice, the priest always wipes it with that snot rag.
As for the peace, I think the two-fingered V and the word Pax should suffice. Learned that one from SuperD, I did. Still using it.
The peace isn't as bad at the Angilican Church as it is the Unity church I used to attend. They did the hugging thing. No THANK YOU, I do not hug strangers! Hello, it's America, we drive big cars and we demand personal space!
(never had Mrs. Green. Mitchell, Fetty, Parkingson (hubba-hubba) then over to Woodbridge for Most)
Betty Fetty. One of the All-Time great names in education. Don't know if she was a good teacher, but what a great name!
Interestingly enough, Armando and I had this discussion over beers at Gator's on Saturday (Really, what better place to disucss "religion?"). He's reading the book called "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. I'm not going to agree (or disagree) with the author's thoughts, because there's a very tiny chance my mom could read this. She'd be here faster than you can say "Peace be with you" (well, wait, she's not Catholic, so she wouldn't actually say that...) and have me sitting in the front row of the nearest ultra conservative protestant church.
Anyway, if you really want to test your faith, read that book.
Me, I've been losing my religion because I haven't in the woods lately. I guess soon enough, I'll have to run many many loops as penance.
I'm not really looking to test my faith, Star, I'm just trying to sort out the stuff I can safely imagine to be true from the stuff that impowers the wrong people. I don't need to read a "God is dead" treatise to understand that the best institutions we have to glorify God or the idea of God were created by flawed humans. The atheist anthems are to the world's great religions like Das Kapital is to Capitalism: long on criticism, short on any realistic alternatives. As Peter responded after Jesus asked him if he'd be leaving with an exodus from his flock when Jesus told his followers he was going to be killed, "Where would I go?".
I'm with you. It's hard raising kids and it's hard seeking out a meaningful religious experience. Good for you for trying.
One thing about this post really bothered me, though. You mean they're still going to rough house when they're teenagers?
Great.
When will the madness end????
Very well said, Dave. Quoteworthy.
And andyman, hugging strangers is way off the comfort scale.
I bet it ends quicker for you than it is for me, Kate, but in the array of combos you get with the DNA dice it can vary a lot even in the same household. My oldest was never, ever, any trouble. My daughter? Puh-lease! The twins are sweet, but brutal. I swear they enjoy physical pain. Musta got that from the same recessive gene that Uncle Andy got.
Thanks, John.
Point taken. I find it interesting to hear what other people think, as well as their alternative to organized religion.
We also talked about how to raise kids with spirituality/morals/ethics (whatever you want to call it) if you don't take them to church...
Personally, I'd take them running :)
Well, I do my part, SD, I realize that I have to leave some areas for people with children to go ... so I'm willing to give up Disney World, Disney Cruises, day cares, toy stores and church. It's tough, but it's my commitment.
For this, you natalists owe me rock and roll clubs and Vegas. Fair trade.
Running doesn't sound so bad, Star. You might "Thoreau" in some naturalist philosophers, too. 'Course, though I go problems with some of the social implications of organized religions, individualism doesn't give you the benefits of "marryin' and buryin'" privilege that organized religions do. Life's full of tradeoffs, I guess.
Sorry, Chase. I'm taking the Lads to My Chemical Romance for their thirteenth birthday. So, maybe you should avoid Birmingham on April 30th.
Oh, and Kate, I'm not flying or anything (seven hour drive from the Boro), and I kinda wanna see 'em too. The twins are definitely not whimps, and probably not spoiled. Probably.
Ah, MCR, they're playing up the street from us, 21+ only!
"Teenagers scare, the living s*** outta me," ... :-)
c
MCR? Well, that's one way to educate kids.
And Chase, Armando and I will be with you at the adults-only vacation clubs and cruises ;) You couldn't PAY me to go on a Disney cruise. The thought of floating on the open ocean with a ship-load of crying kids and Mickey. I need a drink just thinking about it....
Yeah, MCR is on the soft end of what they like. We always got to listen to something that our parents don't like. My folks liked Creedence Clearwater, so I had to listen to Bowie. I like Alice Cooper, so the Lads got to listen to Trivium. Awful. One twin, at a previous church appearance, was listening to Metallica on his i-Pod. On the otherhand, I was comparing the chorus in Marley's Buffalo Soldier to the Banana Splits' theme song (what? you don't think they sound alike? listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEQXvsQJVnY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2se2I70CJ0
(hoi-yoi-yoi= tra-la-la), and Tyler really dug the Banana Splits. Go figure.
And, yes, there should be kid-free zones. Mixing them, for everyone's fun? Er, Hell on Earth, even for parents- especially for parents- is Chucky Cheese. The Horror! The Horror!
...and the drinks don't help, Star.
I'd hang around for two MCR songs and then relax in the SPO mobile if I were you. When my lad hit 13 a few months ago I added the short board to his surf gear collection. Lasts a lot longer than a concert and between running and surfing he's too tired out at the end of the day to enter the rough house once he makes it home, well usually.
Earplugs, I think, may be in order.
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