With the holiday season here and the stress of mounting credit card bills, screaming kids, and all the crowds, Angie and I thought we’d blog about something else to give our readers a break. It is very easy to take for granted this time of year all of the things we have and the opportunities. We are lucky enough to live in a nice home, have enough food, and have family around us for support and to spend the holidays with. There are other people who do not have this and it is them we should add to our ‘to do” list. The next time you are about to head into a store, take out some change and drop it into the Salvation Army bucket or maybe buy an extra toy to drop off at Toys for Tots. You may be lucky enough to take part in an organization that adopts a family. This is something my brothers and sisters started last year and Angie and I have been honored to give. We donate funds to a family who can use it for Christmas gifts, Christmas dinner, or anything else they need to get through the holidays. So hopefully now that your Christmas shopping list is dwindling down, maybe it is time to start a new one.
To celebrate the week before Christmas, Angie and I have decided to post two of our favorite stories that we’ve received in the past. One is a poem about being a mom and the other is a heartwarming story about being a dad. Enjoy!
Mean Moms
Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent,
I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:
I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room;
a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes.
Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the
penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough to say
NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all.
I’m glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.
And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents,
you will tell them:
Was your Mom mean?
I know mine was...
We had the meanest mother in the whole world!
While other kids ate candy for breakfast,
we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.
When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie
for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.
And you can guess our mother fixed us a
dinner that was different from what
other kids had, too. Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.
She had to know who our friends were,
and what we were doing with them.
She insisted that if we said we would be gone for
an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws
by making us to work.
We had to wash the dishes, make the beds,
learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry,
empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.
I think she would lie awake at night
thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head.
Then, life was really tough! Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.
While everyone else could date when they
were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16. Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.
None of us have ever been caught
shoplifting, vandalizing other's property,
or ever arrested for any crime.
It was all her fault. Now that we have left home,
we are all educated, honest adults.
We are doing our best to be mean
parents just like Mom was. I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean Moms!
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
To celebrate the week before Christmas, Angie and I have decided to post two of our favorite stories that we’ve received in the past. One is a poem about being a mom and the other is a heartwarming story about being a dad. Enjoy!
Mean Moms
Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent,
I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:
I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room;
a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes.
Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the
penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough to say
NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all.
I’m glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.
And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents,
you will tell them:
Was your Mom mean?
I know mine was...
We had the meanest mother in the whole world!
While other kids ate candy for breakfast,
we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.
When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie
for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.
And you can guess our mother fixed us a
dinner that was different from what
other kids had, too. Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison.
She had to know who our friends were,
and what we were doing with them.
She insisted that if we said we would be gone for
an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the Child Labor Laws
by making us to work.
We had to wash the dishes, make the beds,
learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry,
empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.
I think she would lie awake at night
thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head.
Then, life was really tough! Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.
While everyone else could date when they
were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16. Because of our mother, we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.
None of us have ever been caught
shoplifting, vandalizing other's property,
or ever arrested for any crime.
It was all her fault. Now that we have left home,
we are all educated, honest adults.
We are doing our best to be mean
parents just like Mom was. I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean Moms!
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'
DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?'
SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?'
SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'
DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'
SON: 'Oh. 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?' The father was furious,
DAD: 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities. '
DAD: 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities. '
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
DAD: 'Are you asleep, son?'
SON: 'No daddy, I'm awake,'
DAD: 'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier. It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'
The little boy sat straight up, smiling.
SON: 'Oh, thank you daddy!'
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
SON: 'Oh, thank you daddy!'
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
DAD: 'Why do you want more money if you already have some?'
SON: 'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' 'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love. If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
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