“Hate” is a hot word around here lately. Kendall hates Lowell. Lowell hates Kendall. Lowell hates me when I say he can’t have any more Jolly Ranchers. Leyna hates going up the stairs AGAIN to put stuff away. They all hate cleaning their messes. Kendall hates Scott for taking away his XBox when he doesn’t behave.
Nobody hates Wallace, though. Not yet. I mean, it’s not even possible.
I used to feel like I wouldn’t be able to stand for my kids saying “hate.” Like, them saying “shit” doesn’t really bother me (in the company of our family only), but “hate” got under my skin. I learned with Kendall, though, that I was giving the word too much power. For the last couple years, anytime he says he hates me, I yell back, “I love you!” This sometimes devolves into a screaming match of “I HATE YOU!” “THAT’S OKAY BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOOOOOOOOOOVEEE YOU SOOOOO MUCH!”
Man, that annoys the hell out of him. I love it.
So with all the hate-bombs being thrown around here lately, I’m continuing my efforts to take the power away from that word.
And I introduced them to a song I personally loved when I was 10. Yes, friends, we had a dance party to Ugly Kid Joe’s “Everything About You.”
Crank it up real loud, kids. Scream it out. I’m going to play this song full blast anytime they start yelling that they hate each other or us for the rest of the summer. Be on the lookout for my forthcoming parenting book Passive Aggressive Parenting Skills That Will Probably Mess Up Your Kids But Are Funny As Hell.
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Nice to see I’m not the only one who let’s the kids curse within the confines of the house.
And Sophia *hates* going up and down the steps as well (must be a thing with 6 year old girls). Well, if you’d stop leaving stuff where it doesn’t belong you wouldn’t have that problem. Just remind her soon all she’ll have will be just 3 steps to get in and out of the trailer.