At the last meet I was sitting with the_weapon while we watched the team swim. One of the girls in his class MissyK was swimming. MissyK is from a family of evangelical Christians so in the past she has invited the_weapon along to her church. Needless to say being raised by a militant atheist he chose to decline, repeatedly.
MissyK swam stone dead last in her heat and she was pretty broken up about it, visibly upset as she got out of the pool and walking back. The_weapon got up and started to head over to her. I though what a caring, empathetic child I had.
I then remembered this is my child I was thinking about.
I jumped up and caught up to him before he spoke to her and said
"No asking, where is her messiah now, okay?"
The look on his face confirmed my suspicions. Fortunately by now one of the teachers was providing solace to distraught aquatic Christian.
So I think we have passed on the family value of atheism. As such I am excited that the Global Atheism festival is coming to Melbourne. Not enough stuff to hold a 10 year olds attention but still plenty happening around town like the atheism bus
and I am comfortable with that. What about you folk, any traits your family's have you want to ensure are passed on. Musicial talent, freakish recall of sporting minutia, ability to roll your tongue into a tube?
My son (year 8) was put into the class of an ex-student of mine (epic fail on my part that she became a teacher). She greeted him with "Oh no! Little Greybeard. Now your father will know I can't teach." He replied (deadpan) "It's all right Miss, I think he already knows".
ReplyDeleteParent-teacher interviews were hell for my wife. "He's so articulate and creative and (blah, blah, blah) BUT - always the BUT - isn't he like his father?" They said it like it was a BAD thing. Personally I think sarcasm, excruciatingly bad puns and the urge to puncture the pompous are positive traits.
Positive traits indeed. Your story above provoked, not just a wry smile but an outright guffaw.
ReplyDeleteIf I had kids it would be imperative that they be nerdily obsessed with all things t.v. and film. Otherwise, I'd consider myself a parental failure. :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm. You raise a good question. Thus far I have spent much more time thinking about which qualities of mine I want to ensure the shorties don't take up.
ReplyDelete"No asking, where is her messiah now, okay?"
ReplyDeleteAh, the militantly religious. Not good with facts.
I reckon teach him a straight aim and a steady trigger finger, concentrating on Zed's brain. And how to clean zombie detritus from chainsaw teeth.
ReplyDeleteWe are congenitally predisposed to punnery. And there's a low brass gene that skipped me but my intellikid inherited.
ReplyDeleteFound you late, but not never! You did right not to let him point out the absence of divine flippers on her little Christian feet, but what is a good time to rub it in???
ReplyDelete