Away

Hi there! To anyone who takes the time to read this, thanks!

I spend time away, a night at a time, a couple of evenings a month. The family joke is that the house knows it and takes revenge. Things break, drains clog, printers stop printing, cars drop mufflers, do you have anything like that happening?

Sometimes I wonder if I spend too much time doing for others when stuff happens and if this is about enough. What do I mean?

What if something doesn't work, traditionally has problems, and I haven't taught how to fix the problem? Have I created a weaker person because of a feeling of being needed? Let's face it, printers have their glitches, especially older ones working on new systems (updated iMac). But getting them going is not that hard.

But.... Almost everytime I leave I have to diagnose and get that printer going over the phone. Last night it was a "crisis" and I couldn't do it. I felt guilty, but realized this was foolish. I've shown how to fix this again and again. Time for someone else to learn the hard way.

Gotta do that more often, or I'll be the only one that can handle these issues going forward. It's not hard, but I do like to feel needed. Gotta break that sin in me so that others can grow the right way.

Agree? Disagree?

The Worst Journal

Hi Folks, well, mostly myself.

The space between the last post and this one is astounding. Time doesn't fly, it evaporates. What happened since the last post? We switched from home schooling three to private school. My wife went back to work and is totally fulfilled with the job. I've been promoted to "Trainer". I'm now a Grandfather. I'm married to a Grandmother. What happened to the time?

What happened to the dreams from last Summer? Most didn't work out. Time evaporated and there wasn't enough in the tank to make them happen. It's planning time again.

So instead I'm planning another blog with my observations about selling as a Christian. That one should be easier.

What have I learned as a father over the last many months?

Somehow or other, I must find the resources to parent them well. My own goals and dreams went to the wayside one by one and there were my kids. For months I gave the responsibility of leading them to the new school, but they still really needed me to be a part of their day. Dad's Day at school pointed this out clearly. Quizzes, contests presentations were all better (according to the teachers) with me in the room.

I wonder if this was the right move... Before I was intimately involved with their education daily. Now, it's "Dad's Day".

Don't give me that crap about helping with homework in the evening. These kids are cleansed of meds by then and don't have the brain discipline to do much more than play a game of Skip-bo, which we do. But I really miss connecting the dots between addition and multiplication.

I'll let you know about the decisions to be made, but for now, at least, I'm aware that there is an issue.

What about you?