My nephew, having decided that the jolly fat elf doesn't exist, has apparently also decided that he is under no obligation to be good this holiday season. Sure, he's six, and his theory of mind is not yet fully-fleshed out. I am aware that my older relatives can regale me with hours of stories about what a rotten little kid I was. Yet N's obstructionism, destructiveness, and peremptory orders are not particularly charming. The traditional photo with Santa yesterday was achieved after only heroic efforts, including the mall's Santa's clamping him into place, to prevent him from wiggling out for the fourth time, which scares his sister and makes her cry.

That said, at the mall yesterday, he bought a tube of little candies with his allowance, then spilled 80% of the candy onto the floor. I felt bad for the little guy. I didn't replace the candy, as (a) this was a valuable life lesson, and (b) his being annoying means I'm less inclined to do him favors.

Please believe me, I intend no criticism of his parents. If it was my kid, he'd be in a military academy already. I might let him back in the house come second grade, to see if he'd learned anything.

Posted by: Boviate at 04:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 216 words, total size 1 kb.