I have spent the past week or so helping friends of our move into a new house. They are good people and needed the hepl, they were deservering as well.

So my rather old body has been moving boxes, carrying couches, and doing all other body numbing tasks.

So as I woke today, and told myself, take the day off, I reached for the bottle of advil and rolled back over into bed to snooze some more.

My wife and daughter took off to go shopping, and spend mother daughter time together, I call it that because it means I get the house to myself.

I was sitting watching T.V. when I got a knock on my door, it was one of my neighbors. Apparently the night before, some rather unsavory kids or young adults  took it upon themselves to take black and green spraypaint and color my new cedar fence. Did I get my day off, no. I spent it power washing my new fence, and while a lot of it came off not all of it did without destroying my fence. I am Jack’s rage. (please tell me you are movie savvy enough to get that quote)

I cannot fathom what would go through a teenagers or young adults mind. I was young once, and I was a rotten kid as well. But I NEVER, never hurt someone elses property. I built this fence myself. (Friends did help) But this was a weekend project. I am flabbergasted. I am hurt, I am saddened. Most of all I am pissed off.

I would very much like to find a car or object of the criminals who did this and deface it so they knew the pain. Now, I know you are saying, they won’t learn any lesson. But everyone cares about something, and if I knew what theirs was it would have my eight lettered last name written on it in black spray paint.

So tomorrow, I will power wash again and break out a dark stain and pray I can have a normal looking fence in my suban neighborhood.

But tonight I wont sleep as well. Because something was taken from me. And it hurt.

J

My daughter is away at a sleep over camp at a college with some of her soccer friends. I was worried she wouldnt be able to make it through the week. We visited her last night and watched her scrimmage and she showed us her dorm and room and what not. She is fine. Loving her freedom and haging out with her friends.

Now I am worried I won’t make the week.

I love you C and couldn’t be more proud of you.

J

I got my first cell phone after I was 27 years old. Months after I bought my first house, and had a child. Why did I get my phone? I did not not want my wife and newborn to not be able to get ahold of me. Now while my newborn could not make the phone call herself (though I am sure she has wanted a phone that long) you get my meaning. Today, some 10 years later I do not leave the house without my phone, I am addicted. I make calls and text, I don’t have a data plan but I see a future where I will need one, eventually.

Do I need a phone? Sure, I can think of tons of reasons why I need it. Work, family, friends, joke texts, all manner of reasons. Now does my daughter need a phone? Here is where I and a lot of parents out there disagree, if you are one of those parents, fine, your kid, your choice,  I will just have my kid use your phone to call me when she needs too. (thanks btw). No, my child does NOT need a phone.

Why do I feel this way? Well, I just think kids are way too spoiled nowadays (not to mention out of control), and I should know, I was spoiled rotten as a kid (thanks mom & dad). Do I know where my kid is going, yes,  and if she doesnt check in after a designated time, I go after her, I know her friends and I kn0w parents. I have a problem with parents not wanting to parent anymore, drop them off somewhere and let whatever establishment watch them. That is another rant so I will get back to the cell phones.

My kid forgets where her shoes are, she forgets to brush her hair, she forgets what time it is, and she needs a phone? Nah, I don’t think so. Most of her friends have phones, if not all of them, so I am the mean guy, I am the mean dad who doesnt let her text her friend sitting in the chair next to her, I am the mean dad who doesnt let her sneak phone call late at night to say things like. “What are you doing? Nothing. Me either, there is a new Jonas coming on, lets watch it.”

Will she get a phone? Yes, someday, probably sooner than later (12 or 13 perhaps. I didn’t get a land line till I was 15 or 16 and I shared that with my sister), but I will fight tooth an nail. She will thank me later (I often have delusions of granduer). Just as I thanked my dad for making me build character. It is for the best, one day she will probably have a phone built into her ear and she will think back and remember when she never had one.

And if I haven’t in a while. Thanks Dad. I love you.

J