.
Unfairness is part and parcel of life. Just ask the post office.
Sorry, bad pun.
Anyway, I've never been a big believer in overly protecting my children from unfairness. It's just too big a job and I'm lazy. I figure that the sooner they internalize this concept the earlier they can get over it and I'll spare the world 7 new adult-whiners.
Sometimes unfairness turns around and bites me. My chronically ill 6 year old son has to have lots of portable snacks. I try to stay away from processed (read expensive and full of junk) snacks but I do keep Extend bars around just in case. I don't share them with his healthy siblings- they don't need them and see above mentioned- expensive. Sometimes if we hit a time snag as we are out errand-running this means my 6 yo gets a snack tossed to him in the van but no one else does.
Yes, it is unfair. But then again none of my other children will go into a coma if they miss a snack. So we roll with it and mostly the older kids take it in stride. Mostly. The 11 yo complained with a quiet groan of, "Man, I'm hungry too." the other day. I was too- but traffic had slowed us and we were way out of schedule and I have to admit I was perhaps a wee bit grumpier than normal.
I snapped, "Life's not fair- you may not get a snack but you don't have to go to the hospital either, so deal." Yes, I know, stellar handling. I am expecting my mothering award in the mail any day now.
What I didn't expect was the 6 year old's serious response. "Yeah, life isn't fair because when I'm sick I get to go to the hospital and play awesome games on their computers and get go to the play room and get frozen yogurt from Ben and Jerry's and he doesn't."
Thankfully the 11 year old was wise/kind/precious enough to not respond other than smiling at me.
.
Unfairness is part and parcel of life. Just ask the post office.
Sorry, bad pun.
Anyway, I've never been a big believer in overly protecting my children from unfairness. It's just too big a job and I'm lazy. I figure that the sooner they internalize this concept the earlier they can get over it and I'll spare the world 7 new adult-whiners.
Sometimes unfairness turns around and bites me. My chronically ill 6 year old son has to have lots of portable snacks. I try to stay away from processed (read expensive and full of junk) snacks but I do keep Extend bars around just in case. I don't share them with his healthy siblings- they don't need them and see above mentioned- expensive. Sometimes if we hit a time snag as we are out errand-running this means my 6 yo gets a snack tossed to him in the van but no one else does.
Yes, it is unfair. But then again none of my other children will go into a coma if they miss a snack. So we roll with it and mostly the older kids take it in stride. Mostly. The 11 yo complained with a quiet groan of, "Man, I'm hungry too." the other day. I was too- but traffic had slowed us and we were way out of schedule and I have to admit I was perhaps a wee bit grumpier than normal.
I snapped, "Life's not fair- you may not get a snack but you don't have to go to the hospital either, so deal." Yes, I know, stellar handling. I am expecting my mothering award in the mail any day now.
What I didn't expect was the 6 year old's serious response. "Yeah, life isn't fair because when I'm sick I get to go to the hospital and play awesome games on their computers and get go to the play room and get frozen yogurt from Ben and Jerry's and he doesn't."
Thankfully the 11 year old was wise/kind/precious enough to not respond other than smiling at me.
.
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