Monday, January 28, 2008

Crap parenting . . . . un deux trois

I received Alton Brown's book: "I'm just here for the food" for my birthday.
As a funny add on, it has these refrigerator magnets of a cow, lamb, chicken, and pig, all with their tasty parts labeled.

Daughter wanted me to get those out and put them up, so we were looking at the book, which has a big chart of the animals and little arrows pointing out all the good stuff that comes from each one.

So daughter looks at the cow and see's all the steaks, roasts, ribs, etc., that are surrounding the cow and says: "Is that what the cow eats?"

Me, attempting at all costs to avoid the "no baby, we feed the cow, kill the cow, then eat the cow" conversation: "Um, no, mostly cows eat grass . . . do I hear your mom? Is she home from work?"

Daughter: "Oh! Maybe! Let me go see!"

Parenting 101: Only tell as much of the truth as you need to, to get out of the situation . . .

1 comment:

Craig Massey said...

Coward. LOL

Many years I discovered what the v-word part of "The Virgin Mary" went,a random thought triggered a memory of putting a Sunday School teacher in an extremely difficult position.

I would have been, what, 7 or 8? I'd put some independent thought into this whole baby Jesus as the son of God deal and proud of having come up with an angle that the guy who wrote the bible hadn't covered I asked my Sunday school teacher, "Couldn't Mary have been going to have a baby and God gave him special powers?". Spot the comic book reader.
The teacher ignored me, so being a persistent little inquirer after the truth I asked him again. Maybe he hadn't heard me, he was old after all, probably all of mid forties.

This time I got a flat, "No".

Not being deterred I asked what any kid that age would, "Why not?".
When the response was a slightly terse, "She just couldn't have been", I retreated in bewildered frustration.

I doubt he'd remember the incident if he's still alive, but I'd love to tell him I finally know the answer he was desperately avoiding having to give me.
I somehow doubt I've have handled it any better.