This will be Dorothy Ann Skarles‘s last post for a while.
Dorothy is taking some time off to adjust to her new life as a widow. There are many things to sort out and sort through.
I hope that in the near future she will take up her son on his offer to help her set up her own blog. She is such a talented writer, temporarily thrown off balance by the loss of the love of her life.
During our family get-togethers at breakfast or dinner, no discussion was off limits.
For Mom and Dad, it was the time for parental talks. For the boys, it was time to question and ask “why?”
At the ages of 13, 15, and 18, the boys’ talk usually turned to girls.
There were so many girls, that for me, it seemed as if they were coming out of the woodwork. They were coming to our house to eat, to help with schoolwork, to listen to music and play the piano.
It wasn’t long before the parental talks turned to sex dialogue.
For Mom and Dad, it was explaining the house rules about sex and how we felt about them becoming sexually active.
I would aim a penetrating stare at my fifteen and eighteen-year-olds and say, “Remember, sex isn’t free. There are consequences. Never be sorry. Always practice safe sex. Always use a condom.”
I didn’t just shoot out one opinion on the subject; it was rolling one-liners whenever needed.
“Mom and Dad are going out. No monkey business. Remember, no girls in the house while we are gone!”
Ironically, the youngest son, despite always being with his brothers and hearing Mom lecture on girls and sex, must have had his ears packed with wax.
When Dad and Mom came home, we knew a girl had been in the house. She had left tell-tail signs in the bathroom.
At the breakfast table and over pancakes, I asked, “Okay, who had the girl over?
My oldest and middle sons both shook their heads and said, “It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me!”
I looked at my youngest, who had a sheepish look on his face. “Well?”
Edward pointed at his brothers. “You only told them, no girls in the house. You never told me!”
Which just goes to show, when you are trying to teach kids about important sexual issues, you’d better talk to each one separately.
So dash off your own memory on how you nailed your kid in a chair, pointed a finger in his face, and said, “I mean you buddy! These are the rules of the house.”
daskarles©2011
Thanks, Dorothy. Hope to hear from you again soon.
That is so funny. You sounded like me when my kids were young. I had two boys and a girl. My daughter never could have boys over because her brothers would let them in the door. Now the boys would try with the girls, but their sister would snitch on them out of revenge. The whole process worked pretty well.
Thanks LA. I am just grateful, that the boys turned out so well and they are happy. I did have fun with my sons and still do. God is with them all the way.
Hi Dorothy,
Great post! Your life has been so eventful, thanks for sharing the 'good, not-so-good, the joys and the sorrows – we can all relate!
I look forward to your 'own personal blog-site' in the near future. You are the greatest!
love bernadine
Bernadine glad you liked the post. The blog is a little way off, but my son did set up a fan page on face book, but it also needs work. I will get it together one of these days.
Wonderful story, Dorothy. I'm sorry for your loss and hope you'll be back writing a blog again soon. I've enjoyed your weekly posts, but especially this one!
Thank you Rosi, for right now, and in the mean time, I thought I would write something on my fan page on face book just to keep me going. Even if its only one or two lines of some kind of story. Don't know what it will be, but thought I would try until I do something for a blog. Every thing has hit me so hard, I don't know if I am coming or going.