Kids Are Washable

The little girl had stayed the night with us. When her father arrived to pick her up he took one look at her and flew into a tirade. Somehwere during the night, this ten year old girl has written on her hand in ink pen.

I looked at the girl half expecting to see ink from one end of her body to the other. Just her name on her hand I just looked at him, “Kids are washable you know.” In hindsight this was probably a bad idea.

It isn’t as if it will destroy their chances of getting into college, or ruin their chances with their future spouse. I’ve never known a simple ink drawing to have any future repercussions as all. They wash off and are forgotten. End of story. A man with half a dozen tattoos has no reason to take a little ball point pen that seriously.

There is a big difference between just reacting and taking action.

In our home we don't beat children up for their mistakes, we simply expect them to be corrected. If they can put it on their skin, they can get it off.

I don’t know if the little girl ever drew on herself again or not. Maybe his method worked, but even if it did... it seemed to be a lot of energy to put into something that lasts a few days at the most.

I have to wonder what he planned to do when the child got into real trouble. Military school for smoking a cigarette? A hard labor camp for taking the car without permission?

I just missed the entire point of this lesson aside from the fact that Daddy having a bad day means everybody has one.

I think I'll just stick with soap and water thank you...