it's all about the family

Two postings in one day. And to think I have never had a Red Bull in my life.

This comes to us from the front page of today's Washington Post. And it's a clear winner. If you're reading this, I suspect you may have even heard about this on your cable news, or as the kicker on the local news, or even on the radio during afternoon drive.

On Monday morning, when many families in the country were returning to the work and school schedule they had let slip over the holidays, a rural Virginia family apparently had some difficulty getting it together.

While dad headed off for work at 6:30, presumably leaving his wife to tend to their 4 and 6 year olds, mom decided to sleep in that day. The 6 year old, ever a go-getter, and apparently a bit miffed that he had missed his school bus that morning, grabbed the keys to the family car, and headed off to his elementary school, where he is in the first grade, for both breakfast and education.

Well, the little sucker sure got an education. According to the Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/06/AR2009010601195.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR, the future NASCAR driver, and likely current Ricky Bobby fan, drove almost all of the ten miles to school before he ran afoul of the rules of the road, and the road itself.

While he navigated himself in the right direction, and was almost within eyeshot of the school, he switched back too fast on the wheel and wiped out on the side of the road, crashing the family Taurus (is that really considered a total loss, or a blessing of sorts).

The first person on the scene checked to see that the little boy was OK, and once he did, the kid got up and attempted to run off to school. Man, they must be strict on the attendance policy at that school.

But of course it does get better. The parents are in additional trouble as dad apparently had been directed by authorities not to allow mom to be in custody of the children absent another adult. Don't want to speculate here, but if we were to do so, it might be a safe bet that mom has some issues with stimulants, or depressants, or things you can't readily obtain in the checkout line at your neighborhood grocery.

Here's where I will get on a soapbox, and whether you can afford a f/t live in nanny while you head off to the gym, or can't bother to wake up in the morning in time to get junior off to school for government breakfast, consider whether you can parent, and whether you have not only the skills but the patience required for this job. We've long heard it's the hardest job out there. And it is, and it multiplies geometrically with each additional child beyond the first.

So think about this, and be responsible, especially if you're already a parent.