My dad was an amazing listener. He had that rare combination of intuitiveness, seemingly non-judgementalness, and a kind and gentle nature. He was able to wrestle confessions of misdeeds out of his children by barely uttering a word.
His philosophy was if you give a guy enough rope sooner or later he'll hang himself.
As a parent I see how often this is true. What should have been a simple yes or no answer turns into a very long tale that obviously took some time to conjure up. Truth usually isn't very complicated. Talk, talk, talk and before you know it you've got yourself tangled in a web of deceit.
That's when Dad would kick the chair (figuratively).
I'm not nearly the good listener my dad was (I'm more like my mom). But sometimes I do get it right.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
#6 & #7: Summer Wrap Up
We had a very nice time at the beach and we had a real picnic while we were there. :-)
Labor Day has passed and the leaves are rapidly changing and even falling from some trees! Summer is over. I did not do everything on my list, but I came close...
Not done:
4. Go to the county fair. We were refinishing kitchen cabinets that week.
5. Take a field trip to a historic site. Just didn't find the time. Does reading a wayside marker count?
8. Shop the farmers' market at least twice. Technically I've only been to it once so far. The kids have gone about 3 times! I'll probably go again this weekend.
12. Teach Fifteen how to drive. Fifteen is now Sixteen and he is doing very well driving. A little more practice and he should get his license first try.
13. Stay up late and watch a meteor shower. I tried!
15. Read four good novels. I read...one.
Now to start a fall to-do list....
Friday, September 4, 2009
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