Why can't they be like we were, perfect in every way.....

I love the movie Bye, Bye, Birdie. In it there is a song titled, "Kids" basically lamenting that kids of today aren't as wonderful as all of us were when WE were kids. Anyone who has ever had kids, or been a kid, knows what a pain in the ass they can be at times and how they seem to thrive on getting hurt and/or in trouble.

My daughter had one of those "special" parenting days yesterday when Vika and Eamon decided to jump from the railing in the dining room down to the living room couch. Eamon did fine. Vika busted her head open when she used the couch as a trampoline and did a header on the coffee table. A couple of hours and three staples later she was fine. But it was an exciting evening all around. Ed and I were headed to a crab feed, but went to Urgent Care to be with Jenni, Jeff and the kids.

Of course, my kids never did anything like that. Well, unless you count the time Jenni found a little metal ball, threw it in the air and looked to see where it would land. As luck would have it, it landed on her mouth and broke a tooth.

Or the many times my son Joe got sun stroke because he would play too hard without a hat in the 110 Tucson sun.

Oh, and the time he went dirt bike riding and didn't realize the sand dunes change overnight with the wind and all so he did a header over the dune and landed on his shoulder.

Back to Jenni, when she finally learned how to climb out of her crib, she would do it from the front instead of the side and land on her head on the ground. If I was downstairs, I would hear a loud thump followed by a wail. Good times.

I, on the other hand, was a perfect child. No need to bring up the time I decided to do a little dance on my mother's coffee table with the glass insert (what was she thinking?!?) and my leg went through the glass. What's a few stitches here and there.

Or the time I gave my sister a ride on my bike and got her foot caught in the spokes.

Or the time I shoved a rock up my nose (please don't ask me why) and ran home crying so hard that the rock fell out. Actually, my mother never knew about that one.

It's amazing that we parents survive.