Any of you monkeys want a banana?

Laini's birthday party is today. Thankfully, Kevin's feeling better. It seems he developed a case of salmonella poisoning, he thinks, from some meat eaten last week, so Laini stayed at our house while Lindsey took Kevin to the E.R. He must be feeling better now, because our driveway just got plowed about 30 minutes ago. Not a lot of snow, but enough to be an inconvenience. It's good to see he's up and around again.

I've been working on a web database for Fran to use as he compiles the info for a book he wants to do. The book will be about Iron Maiden's touring history, and the recordings available from them. The list of shows is staggering, but considering the length of time these guys have been around, and the devotion to touring they have, it shouldn't be surprising. The funny thing is that I've never liked Iron Maiden, and still don't list them in my top 50 musical acts. The fun of building the pages, databases, etc, is what's in it for me.

Fran's introduced me to this whole sub-economy, using Iron Maiden stuff as currency. Bootleg recordings are prized, as is the official memorabilia. Got a concert book? That's worth 4 bootlegs. Or maybe 3. Or something like that. I even saw a program someone had written that he called "bootware". The cost of registration is a bootleg recording every so often. Amazing that so many people are collecting this stuff. Maybe I should listen to some of their music, so I could then understand where this devotion comes from.

Raising teenagers is never easy, but some are harder than others. Even though he hasn't been the most difficult (the twins win hands down) Jonathan tries my patience on a daily basis. Does he really think there should be no strings attached for the care and feeding of the vehicles he drives? I want him to take care of the recycling and keeping the basement presentable. It would be a good way for him to make some money. But, no, it's "ridiculous" for us to actually expect something from him when he excercises his "right" to drive a vehicle. We were talking (that means I was speaking and he was ignoring) about how parents should treat all their kids the same. It's impossible, of course. There is no way you can treat seven children exactly the same. That little bit of wisdom reminds me of a line from the very forgettable movie "Love Story". The female lead says something like "Love means never having to say you're sorry". What a load of crap!!! If you love someone, you damn well better say you're sorry when you screw up.

Being a parent means making the best decision you can at that time. The idea that you are limited in your options because of decisions made in the past is not only stupid, it's dangerous. For example, the decision to allow a child to drive in bad weather. Not everyone drives with the same level of skill or attention. My children are no exception. I worry every time Jonathan takes one of the vehicles. Not that I didn't worry about the others...I did. But it's different. He told me he drove the speed limit last night..."the road wasn't bad"...after I had called and told him I wanted him to come home earlier than he wanted to. I ended up taking his friend home and felt comfortable driving about 40 mph. I probably could have gone a little faster, but that was the speed I was comfortable. Is Jon a better driver than me? No. Why did he feel it was OK to drive faster than me? Because he has poor judgement. Should I allow him to drive in the same conditions I would let Lindsey or Neal, or the other kids to drive in? Therein lies the rub.

This idea bleeds over into other areas as well. I was discussing the Catholic Church with a family member some time ago that isn't Catholic. His position was that if it isn't in the Bible, it can't be from God. He was referring to the fact that the Catholic Church has introduced numerous concepts that aren't in the Bible. My response was "Why do you place limits on God?" He was taken aback by this idea. "I don't place limits on God" was his response. "Well, if you assume that God can't interact with man in ways that aren't recorded in a set of books almost 2000 years old, then you are certainly placing limits on what you think God can do" was my response. I don't think I convinced him of anything, but then again, that wasn't my goal. I've never doubted the existence of God, and identify with the priest in the movie "Rudy". He made the statement: "There's two things I know, there is a God, and I'm not him". All the rest is just guesswork.

How are these related, you ask? God can't change, and neither can parents. Is there a relationship here? Probably not.