Politics and Parenthood
I find being a parent is pretty hard. Overall, I hope I'm doing ok, but I have my doubts.
One thing I struggle mightily with is tolerance of minor stuff. Little kids exist to test limits. They're constantly breaking the very sensible, reasonable rules you provide them with. Lots of stuff is irrelevant but much of it is safety related. In general, you've got to ignore this behavior. It's meaningless in the grand scheme really. And punishment tends to just lead to more punishment and frustration for dad and kid.
For some reason this popped into my head the other day as I was contemplating things like political parties, talk radio, talking points, elections, etc. It struck me that we seem to have reached a point where its just normal to villify those who disagree. As I thought about it more, I realized that it probably wasn't always this way.
But how do you go from tolerant and laid back to a perpetual state of hair trgger alert? Then I decided that it was probably not unlike what I've experienced as a parent. In my mind, I decide to draw some arbitrary line in the sand about some issue. As that line gets crossed, I keep upping the stakes until that's my relationship with my kids.
I have many strong opinions and I'm vocal about them. But in my heart of hearts, I'm pretty laid back and tolerant. There's so much for me to learn about the world and at the end of the day, it's the people in it that matter to me. And there's why I have always loved Alpha Theta. Since I've known the place, there has been no shortage of debate, difference of opinion, even crisis. But nearly always, I have felt we were Alpha Thetians first (even long after we left). We've accepted crackpots like me of every persuasion and have always found a way to get along without anyone needing to compromise much of her individuality. Given what I routinely witness between people in the world today, that's no small feat.
Speaking of parenthood, I just spent a wonderful evening with Anathea. We went out to the Revolution game at Gillette Stadium.
One thing I struggle mightily with is tolerance of minor stuff. Little kids exist to test limits. They're constantly breaking the very sensible, reasonable rules you provide them with. Lots of stuff is irrelevant but much of it is safety related. In general, you've got to ignore this behavior. It's meaningless in the grand scheme really. And punishment tends to just lead to more punishment and frustration for dad and kid.
For some reason this popped into my head the other day as I was contemplating things like political parties, talk radio, talking points, elections, etc. It struck me that we seem to have reached a point where its just normal to villify those who disagree. As I thought about it more, I realized that it probably wasn't always this way.
But how do you go from tolerant and laid back to a perpetual state of hair trgger alert? Then I decided that it was probably not unlike what I've experienced as a parent. In my mind, I decide to draw some arbitrary line in the sand about some issue. As that line gets crossed, I keep upping the stakes until that's my relationship with my kids.
I have many strong opinions and I'm vocal about them. But in my heart of hearts, I'm pretty laid back and tolerant. There's so much for me to learn about the world and at the end of the day, it's the people in it that matter to me. And there's why I have always loved Alpha Theta. Since I've known the place, there has been no shortage of debate, difference of opinion, even crisis. But nearly always, I have felt we were Alpha Thetians first (even long after we left). We've accepted crackpots like me of every persuasion and have always found a way to get along without anyone needing to compromise much of her individuality. Given what I routinely witness between people in the world today, that's no small feat.
Speaking of parenthood, I just spent a wonderful evening with Anathea. We went out to the Revolution game at Gillette Stadium.