Quit It, Stop It, and Knock It Off?

I have to take a break here and tell you about the kids

Quit it, Stop It, and Knock It Off! 

My name is Mean It.

It never fails. The day goes by and I have repeated these phrases at one or all of my children. If one of them is behaving the others are into or up to something. I have to shout, QUIT IT! Stop IT, and KnoCk it OFF!!! at one point or another. Sometimes I ask them which one they are. They like these discussions. It reminds me of the cartoon Family Circus with the little ghost *I Don't Know* that floats around causing trouble.

We have means of addressing our kids that aren't very healthy for their confidence or building their self-esteem. I have heard parents direct hateful messages toward these impressionable minds. Meet these children as adults and they are probably suffering some kind of personality disorder from these marks on their spirit. Therapists make millions trying to reverse the damage.

I recognize where damage has been ingrained in my reactions. I do not blame my parent for the way they raised me but there are residual effects from my early years. I am still striving to do the best I can and when I do I am waiting to be in trouble for it. That my efforts weren't the correct ones or something along that line. I have realized this was from the way communication was addressed in our family home. Everything was a fight or a reason to share angry words. The tension of walking around with the potential of causing problems was thick.

Sunflowers ~ Image: MorgueFile

Quit it, stop it, and knock it off were also my siblings when I was younger.

Along with myself, there were 5 other kids in our home and it was a big weight on our parents. They had to both work to support the family. 6 kids are a big lot to feed. They are even tougher to discipline. My brothers came along one by one 9 to 10 months apart when I was about 8. They ran the house like little wild monkeys! My sister was only a year and a half younger than I so we used to be best friends for about 2 hours then be bickering brats the next. I am sure this added to the aggravations my parents felt.

I will out of respect for Mom and Dad not include some of the darker moments in our home life. There were no moments of inappropriate contact but there were physical confrontations at times.

We were a crowded home. Sharing rooms created arguments. Little children are curious and tend to wander where they are not supposed to be and cause issues. My brothers were definitely into everything!

A regular fight would brake out when one of the boys would find my sunflower seed shell bag and either dump it out or try to eat the shells. Mom would be furious! The irony of this is she has a backyard full of sunflower plants now that grew out of nowhere!

Some of the times we had were great. One of our favorite things to do was go outside and dig in the yard. Mom is still finding things and toys we buried out there. She uncovered a Barbie not too long ago.

I look back on those days and wonder what would have happened if I had stayed in the home instead of running into the dark...

Karaoke And Laundry Mats...

Karaoke is a great time out and I love to sing! 

Karaoke Night - Image: M Burgess

I am sitting in a lounge and the karaoke host and tech have arrived. They are setting up their musical equipment. 

The atmosphere is a friendly hometown bar and it is cool in here. I am so grateful for A/C these days! The summer heat outside is blazing and we had to do our laundry this afternoon. This secluded bar is right next to the wash and dry shop near our neighborhood. This makes doing this chore a lot easier!

My 28 year old daughter is with me. She's my runnin' buddy. The drink in front of me is a *Pink OJ*. It is a mixture of fruit juices and lemon-lime soda. I have been sober and clean for 7 and half years almost 8 years come October. I intend to keep it that way. Alcohol makes me crazier than I already am so I will just stick to fruit sugars and chocolate if I need a little bit of a feel good substance. Karaoke is one of the few reasons I will step into a bar.

Singing is a great way to keep me in my musical interest and helps me break away from routines. I have sung all my life. Choir in high school and in church has trained me to at least carry a tune. I play guitar but my instrument is sitting lately, collecting dust in the corner. It's a poor lonely thing these days.

I will open as I always do with the song *You're In My Heart* by that wonderful playboy crooner, Rod Stewart. This song has been my choice for warming up for many, many years now. I am not sure if I will stay much longer than a couple of songs. Crowds in bars get drunker and louder as the evening gets on and the alcohol level gets deeper. I am sitting off in the corner with my tiny lap top and editing some material.

I am seriously needin' a get away but the funds aren't there. Work has been tough with the job change in April and the fact that it's summer. Money is not readily earned at this time of year. Chauffeur work in Vegas is sketchy out of the convention season so we do our best to get by. The new procedures are making me just nutty some days and the heat doesn't help either. The days are over the 100 degree mark now. It's July and the sun just blazes off the black paint on our cars and you can see the heat vapors on the pavement in shimmering waves.

The past few weeks I have a new obsession. Writing has grabbed a hold of me and I don't think it is going to end any time soon. Developing a website and crafting readable, meaningful articles on the topic of preparedness is most of the focus in my publishing. This makes socializing difficult. Aside from the net and an occasional phone call I am a bit of a loner. Without my daughter in my home I probably wouldn't talk very often.

That is the purpose of this post. I needed someone to talk to and..oh, hey before I do that, I have to go sing. Looks like I am in the Que to sing next.


Be right back!