My e-friends and e-ssociates, I have come to the conclusion that the End is near.
I came to this conclusion after hosting a reception for my family after a memorial service for my grandmother died a few weeks ago (it was a blessing for her to finally pass- she'd been through a lot this past year).
It was during cleanup that I noticed that the children who had come to this reception (ages 12-18) went into my upstairs den and set my thermostat for 85 degrees F, had stuffed some of my gaming minis into a box of kleenex.
Which is just the latest in a series of shennanigans by these children (and others as young as 5) in the family when left unsupervised in my house (and other relatives houses as well).
In the past year, they have:
1) Gashed a 3" hole in my wall.
2) Broken hundreds of dollars of gaming minis, some irreperably (because parts are missing).
3) Lit my bathmats on fire (using a safety starter, so it couldn't have happened by accident).
4) Opened IM accounts on other people's computers without permission...and those IMs show up simultaneously on ALL computers to which those accounts were linked. Thus, when the kid is at home, 4 other computers are showing the conversation as a series of popups...and we couldn't turn it off. (We had to contact AOL directly.)
5) Written on computer screens, which had to be replaced. The walls near the computer were also hit.
6) Added or changed passwords on computer equipment.
7) Raided my pantry like they were shopping at a grocery, complete with brown paper bags.
8) Threatened my 15 year old dog with bodily harm- in my presense and the presence of her mother- because she wouldn't move.
9) Wandered off without letting people know where they're going...in places like Malls, Movie Megaplexes, and the Texas State Fair.
10) Managed to crush chewing gum into my carpet...UNDER my futon.
11) 2 of the 12 year olds throw tantrums (in public) when they don't get to eat what/where they want, are told to sit still in church or are otherwise subjected to discipline- especially by elders not their own parents.
Now, all of this may not seem like all that much except that, when I tell their parents about their transgressions, they basically smile and/or shrug and/or laugh it off. There are no repercussions for these brats.
(I learned before I was 6 that you don't touch stuff that doesn't belong to you- especially if it belongs to an adult- without permission.)
Scariest of all, some of the behavior mentioned above has come AFTER they were put on medication and their behavior improved.
These kids who have no concept of "not yours" are the kids who will grow up to run the world in coming decades.
The End? It will come when they start pushing buttons just because they can, and since the oldest is 18, that may not be very long...
Hopefully, if I ever have kids, I can raise them better than that. If so, perhaps they'll be able to stave off the inevitable for one more generation...
I came to this conclusion after hosting a reception for my family after a memorial service for my grandmother died a few weeks ago (it was a blessing for her to finally pass- she'd been through a lot this past year).
It was during cleanup that I noticed that the children who had come to this reception (ages 12-18) went into my upstairs den and set my thermostat for 85 degrees F, had stuffed some of my gaming minis into a box of kleenex.
Which is just the latest in a series of shennanigans by these children (and others as young as 5) in the family when left unsupervised in my house (and other relatives houses as well).
In the past year, they have:
1) Gashed a 3" hole in my wall.
2) Broken hundreds of dollars of gaming minis, some irreperably (because parts are missing).
3) Lit my bathmats on fire (using a safety starter, so it couldn't have happened by accident).
4) Opened IM accounts on other people's computers without permission...and those IMs show up simultaneously on ALL computers to which those accounts were linked. Thus, when the kid is at home, 4 other computers are showing the conversation as a series of popups...and we couldn't turn it off. (We had to contact AOL directly.)
5) Written on computer screens, which had to be replaced. The walls near the computer were also hit.
6) Added or changed passwords on computer equipment.
7) Raided my pantry like they were shopping at a grocery, complete with brown paper bags.
8) Threatened my 15 year old dog with bodily harm- in my presense and the presence of her mother- because she wouldn't move.
9) Wandered off without letting people know where they're going...in places like Malls, Movie Megaplexes, and the Texas State Fair.
10) Managed to crush chewing gum into my carpet...UNDER my futon.
11) 2 of the 12 year olds throw tantrums (in public) when they don't get to eat what/where they want, are told to sit still in church or are otherwise subjected to discipline- especially by elders not their own parents.
Now, all of this may not seem like all that much except that, when I tell their parents about their transgressions, they basically smile and/or shrug and/or laugh it off. There are no repercussions for these brats.
(I learned before I was 6 that you don't touch stuff that doesn't belong to you- especially if it belongs to an adult- without permission.)
Scariest of all, some of the behavior mentioned above has come AFTER they were put on medication and their behavior improved.
These kids who have no concept of "not yours" are the kids who will grow up to run the world in coming decades.
The End? It will come when they start pushing buttons just because they can, and since the oldest is 18, that may not be very long...
Hopefully, if I ever have kids, I can raise them better than that. If so, perhaps they'll be able to stave off the inevitable for one more generation...
So sorry to hear of a loved one leaving. 
