You know, our kids learn stuff in crazy ways. And sometimes, life just hands us a very effective teaching tool. Now, “That’s not fair!!!” happens to be one of the most annoying sentences in the English language, at least in my viewpoint. And as you have probably guessed, I have one child who says that in response to every suggestion, directive, or instruction he receives. Last night, he was playing xbox with his sibs, and I told him he needed to let someone else have a turn. And he said….yep, you got it…..”That’s not fair!”

So, I walked over to him, and I said, “Son, this weekend, for my BIRTHDAY, I went out and got a dog that was supposed to be my friend for the next fifteen years.” His mouth dropped open, but I kept on talking. “Now there is a very real possibility that dog may die, and have you ever once seen me stomp my foot and say ‘that’s not fair!’ ” He nodded no. And I continued, “That’s because saying ‘That’s not fair!’ doesn’t change anything and it just makes people think you are a whiner. Sometimes crap just happens and you have to deal with it and move on.”

Did it work? Maybe, because later in the evening, I heard him say, “That’s not……” Nothing, he stopped.

There ya go, better than a Barney video off Netflix, and no vga to hdmi cables required. As for MAB, we are entering day 6 of parvo, and he’s still wagging his tail. It gives me hope that I will eventually need a category called “Cass has a dog.”