Being a father is a blessing and a privilege but we all know kids know how to cross the line from time to time! I have two beautiful little girls ages 8 and 6. They are active cheerleaders and run their mouths 100 miles a minute. As a parent, I am sure a lot of parents can relate and say there have been numerous incidents where their child has almost made them “go there!” My story is quite interesting….

            It was a great long relaxing weekend after a heavy week at work and the gym. I am an active duty soldier so its easy to tell that my days start around 5AM and end around 6PM and that does not include college homework and whatever else I may have going on. Best part about this schedule is THE WEEKEND IS YOURS…. well sometimes! My youngest daughter, Zy was smiling at me at the dinner table on a Saturday night and lays the most SAVAGE comment on me that I have ever heard from a 6-year-old, “Daddy, how come you sit on the couch and do nothing?!” I swear it was a mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb behind her. The room was quiet, she kept looking at me, smiling with that cute little twinkle in her eye. I lost it, picked my daughter up by her cute little pony tails and…. just playing! Let me get back to what really happened. I blinked hard and began to open my mouth but my wife saved me and asked my daughter, “Did you forget that your daddy’s a soldier!?” She puts her finger to her mouth and tries to remember, while my wife winks at me and caresses my shoulder. In moments like these I just get quiet and keep putting food in my mouth until I get my thoughts together. Unlike talking to an adult, you can’t always fire back at kids like you would with an adult because sometimes they just don’t understand. In my household, I am the provider. Hearing my child question what I do could be considered as a sign of disrespect. Instead of cursing my child out and going crazy I decided to do the same thing a lot of men do with their spouses, “Yep, you’re right, I don’t do ANYTHING!” I finished my plate, put it in the sink, and went and sat on the couch!

            I avoided a negative outcome in this situation with my child by playing dumb and avoiding the question rather than getting sensitive about my position as a man being challenged by a child. Instead of fussing cursing and yelling, I left it alone. My wife added her two cents but really and truly, if it doesn’t involve bubbles, Barbie’s, puppies and Doc Mcstuffins, my youngest daughter doesn’t care at this age! So, how could I even be mad in this situation!? If I would have overreacted, I would have regretted it.