Problem of the Week

Okay, so today's Problem of the Week is about how to raise kids in our disposable culture.

I swear, my kids have no respect for the uniqueness of life- they are so used to disposing of things when they break and getting "a fresh one."

Kyle doesn't help it along any. Any time one of the boys ruins their toys and is upset, Kyle just tells them we'll go get a new one. It's his idea of a quick fix to make them feel better and stop crying.

I, who am more accustomed to the crying and therefore more immune to it, tell them that we can't just get another one and that they need to respect and care for the things that they already have, a lesson that has hardly sunk in when Dad always buys them a "fresh one. "

Even when Shelly (our favorite nesting dove who reared several sets of chicks outside of Marylou's front door) bit the dust and the boys were sad and asking important questions about death, Kyle took the opportunity of teaching them this valuable lesson: "Maybe a new Shelly will fly up and sit on the nest and make more babies!" Essentially, he was telling them that we'd just get a new one!

It didn't help matters any when DeLilah showed up. Yes, another mourning dove mated with Sheldon (who should have been MOURNING (hello, he's a MOURNING DOVE) his wife, not yet cold in her grave) and SAT ON THE NEST AND LAID MORE EGGS. Dammit all! Somehow they DID get a fresh one!

This is all bad enough on its own, but this morning, Owen confirmed that his lack of respect for life is truly a problem when he said he wanted to get a puppy instead of our dog, Krycek. The actual quote from his mouth was: "When Krycek gets dead, we will get a fresh one." I kid you not.

Problem.