Absolutely correct. The history of scientific inquiry is marked by incontrovertible evidence that once something is published, it is FACT and irrefutable FOREVER. Just ask a brontosaurus.
Every parent needs a few good solid threats that are clearly impractical. Mine, for many years, was "I'm going to turn you into a newt!" until one day my son looked up and me gleefully and said "You CAN'T!" After that it was "wrap you up in duct tape and leave you out for the dinosaurs." Which led to some entertaining conversations over the years.
This sort of thing lets off steam.
Gosh, not only were mine abused but so was I! Shock horror!
Call: "I'm going to take off my belt and the you know what'll happen!" Response: "Your pants will fall down!"
It's an interesting cultural shift in the years between those generations--my father understood the corollary growing up ("when other fathers say this it means X, but when I say it, I will only ever mean Y"). But to my sisters and I, we were merely being threatened with a mooning, and we literally didn't understand that there was a violent meaning behind "taking off one's belt" until we were nearly in high school.
One day, you'll be lying in bed reading your book and the phone will ring and it'll be one of the kids, just got out of work, and you'll chat to them about books until they get to the metro and can't talk any more, and ring off, reluctantly.
That's the victory condition, that's like getting to Alpha Centauri.
On the geography thing -- Amtrak's website has good whole country train maps and can make planning trips interesting. She could work out how I got to you from Denver and how I got home, if she remembers that.
Alternatively, they'll fly in to stay with you for a week or two, and make your life so easy by doing the washing and cooking dinner for you before you get home from work. And you'll sit about laughing about the olden days and drinking a glass of wine together. It will happen, however difficult it seems to be to imagine it now.
I particularly love how she keeps refusing to see that the societies (fictional or non-) under discussion with the highest birth rates are the ones with government-run or -supported creches, that allow female parents a high degree of autonomy to get on with their lives WHILE ALSO BREEDING.
Oh, and I also adore that 'having your childrearing abilities aided by society' in her mind does not map either to help from extended families or governmental intervention, because neither of THOSE are SOCIETY to her. Ack, ptui. I'd comment, but what's the point? She won't see me either.
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Re: Obsnark
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My kids are nicer when I've had something to eat. And sometimes ten minutes locked alone in a soundproof room. With chocolate.
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Yeah, I exchanged some mail with her and decided that I was comfortable linking.
My kids are nicer when I've had something to eat. And sometimes ten minutes locked alone in a soundproof room. With chocolate.
As is generally the case, the day I came down with this case of So Over Them just happens to be a day that Michael has an evening meeting at church.
Colin is hard to put to bed these days, so I'm guessing that I will be through with them in... three hours? Oh dear.
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But that's always how it goes..... Good luck getting through the evening.
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I hope it was ok in the end.
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This sort of thing lets off steam.
Gosh, not only were mine abused but so was I! Shock horror!
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Call: "I'm going to take off my belt and the you know what'll happen!"
Response: "Your pants will fall down!"
It's an interesting cultural shift in the years between those generations--my father understood the corollary growing up ("when other fathers say this it means X, but when I say it, I will only ever mean Y"). But to my sisters and I, we were merely being threatened with a mooning, and we literally didn't understand that there was a violent meaning behind "taking off one's belt" until we were nearly in high school.
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That's the victory condition, that's like getting to Alpha Centauri.
On the geography thing -- Amtrak's website has good whole country train maps and can make planning trips interesting. She could work out how I got to you from Denver and how I got home, if she remembers that.
Beta Centauri
(Anonymous) 2010-08-06 03:28 am (UTC)(link)Emma
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K.
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Oh, and I also adore that 'having your childrearing abilities aided by society' in her mind does not map either to help from extended families or governmental intervention, because neither of THOSE are SOCIETY to her. Ack, ptui. I'd comment, but what's the point? She won't see me either.
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(Anonymous) 2010-08-12 09:46 am (UTC)(link)I hope you are okay, and just not feeling like posting. Rather than not okay and not posting. Take care of yourself.
cheers
Emma