Sure Signs That You’re Starting to Sound Like Your Dad

This was a classic one that my dad always preached about - leaving the light on. Back then, I didn't think it was a big deal that I left my light on because I was just going to go back into that room later. Today, I know all too well about the costs of electricity. So, when I see that one of the kids has left the light on and they're not in the room anymore, well, that's just not cool. I find myself telling the kid, "Unless you want to pay for the electricity, then you need to turn it off". Does it work? At least 7 times a week, it does. I mean, for crying out loud, we're not Motel 6!

My dad's words, "What, are we cooling off the neighborhood?" rings through my head as I explain to the children about leaving the door open. What's so hard about closing a door? It takes just as much effort, if not more, to open the door, than it does to shut it. Are kids so much in a hurry these days that they can't take 2 seconds to close the door?

Kids, especially teenagers, are bottomless pits. They seem to be able to eat anything at anytime. Even after having a huge dinner, I'll find the kids in the kitchen looking for something to snack on an hour after we ate. I always think of that scene in the movie "Friday" where Mr. Jones tells Craig, "Why is it when I come into the kitchen, you're in the kitchen?". That's exactly how I feel. I'll tell them, "You know, money doesn't grow on trees." But, then the little smart mouths come out, "Well, this banana does, Dad". Little twerp, get out of the kitchen!

Usually, it's the smaller kids that this relates to. Although, I have had to tell my teenage son not to do a gainer with a half twist off of the ceiling fan. For some reason, kids can't tell the difference between inside and outside. And, toddlers only have one speed - as fast as they can go. I admit it's kind of cute to see our little granddaughter hauling tail through the house. But not so much if she falls and hits her head on the corner of the table. Now, playing football with your brothers in the house like the picture to the left, is totally OK.

There is not much I hate more than to do 4 hours of lawn work to get it just the way I want it, when someone chunks a piece of trash on my lawn, some kid is walking through it, or a neighborhood dog is hiking it's leg on it. I work hard on my lawn to get it nice and green and the last thing I need is someone tracking stickers in it or messing it up. Yeah, they say the fastest distance between two points is straight across, but not on my lawn!