Recently, Tami asked Kenzie to start thinking about what she wants Santa Claus to bring her for Christmas. Kenzie thought about it for awhile and then told Tami: “I know you buy the presents.”

That’s right.  Kenzie has learned the truth about Santa Claus. She’s reached that milestone in her life where she found out that there is no Santa Claus!

I suspect it won’t be long until she stops believing in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny as well.

What bothers me about her discovery is that she learned about Santa from her little friends at school. I didn’t even get to have “the talk” with her.

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Lately I’ve been a little concerned that that the kids aren’t taking me seriously as their parent.

They seem to perceive me as one of their friends, a big playmate. It’s like I’m their Dad Pal.

If I issue a paternal command, instead of responding with   “Yes Father” or “OK Dad”, they reply with a high-five or a fist bump followed by a “Let’s go play!”

I feel like the Rodney Dangerfield of fathers, “I don’t get no respect!”

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Nearly two years ago I published a post describing how the kids each want to blame their bad behavior on their sibling.

At the time I said the kids were going through this blame game phase. I guess I’m finding out that:

IT’S NOT A PHASE!

Apparently, blaming one’s own misconduct on one’s sibling is not some stage of child development they are passing through. It’s a daily routine; no, it’s a way of life!

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I  may have to fire one of my long-time employees.  Excessive absence. Non-performance. Neglect of duty.

Unfortunately, this employee has many years of loyal and dedicated service with me. But, the poor guy just quit doing his job!

It’s not so much that my employee is incompetent. He has a strong background in his field and many years of experience for the position he now holds in my organization.

He is, in fact, well-qualified for the job.

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‘Twas the day after Christmas and all through our home,
All the presents were broken even the new drone!
The stockings were filled with new Christmas toys,
That now lay damaged by careless girls and boys.

The children were whining and with nothing to do,
Argued how toys got busted and by who.
I knew there’s no way I could ever fix them all,
And still have time to watch my college football!

When out on the street there arose such a clatter,
I jumped from my chair to see what was the matter!
As I ran out on the porch to witness the flap,
I saw an old van driven by an odd-looking chap!

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I worry about dying.

Not because I’m worried that I have some undetected disease or some undetermined medical condition. I’m not worried about having a heart attack or a car accident.

I worry about the kids. What would become of them if I’m not around?

I suppose younger parents don’t worry about such things.

When I was younger, life seemed so long. Now, life seems so short.

And, it seems that I’m growing old faster than the kids are growing up!

So, I worry about what their life will be like if die.

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One of the biggest behavior problems we have with the kids is sibling rivalry. And, it sometimes develops into sibling warfare. Kenzie antagonizes Kaleb and he thinks it’s his duty to discipline her by yelling, hitting, pushing and/or tattling on her.

She reciprocates in-kind!

We have tried many forms of punishment to deal with the kids arguing and fighting with one another. You know the usual methods–timeout, standing in corner, banishment to room, taking away privileges, taking away possessions, and occasionally spanking.

None of these methodologies seems to have much impact or lasting effect.

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The other day Kenzie drew up a list of my favorite things–at least what she thought were or should be my favorite things.

As I reviewed her list I would have to agree that everything on the list is certainly one of my favorite things.

But, her list has a curious and unusual mix of people, animals, colors and universities!

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I’ve decided to retire from my current job next year. But, that doesn’t mean I’ve decided to quit working.

It just means I’m going to stop doing what I’ve done for much of my career and do something else. It means I’ve reached certain goals in my current profession and it’s time to try a new profession.

Besides, I’ve got health insurance premiums to pay for two young kids and college tuition somewhere down the line, so I won’t be taking up golf or fly fishing anytime soon!

I suppose I’m at one of those junctures in your life and your career when you stop and take stock of what you’ve accomplished and learned along the way to determine what might be your legacy.

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We’re back….

Whoever said the Internet was free didn’t publish a website or a blog. If all you do on the Internet is post pictures and life events on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, you probably don’t think about the cost of the Internet.

But, for the people who publish the websites and blogs that you browse, there’s costs involved in posting their information on the Internet. In fact, some people post advertisements on their websites or blogs to try to recover the costs of publishing on the Internet (and, possibly to make a profit as well).

If you want people to visit your website on the Internet, you have to have an address, a location, a URL. And, that URL has to have a name, a domain, assigned to it. And, you have to obtain that domain from an authorized Internet domain registrar.

Once you have a registered domain, you have to have a place for it to reside. It could be on your own computer (web server) or somebody else’s. And, then you have to have a way to access your website and update it.

All these services–registering, residing, updating–have a cost. That’s right, there’s no free Internet.

And, if you don’t pay the Internet bill, these services will expire and voila, all your work is gone in a nanosecond.

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