Jettison Fury (parenting in time and space)

There is never a right time to reach out to your kids. Morning. Not up. Afternoon. Late for class. Evening. No response.

And once you get the picture (they are in control) you can begin to let go of all expectations and fury. There might be some left over from the divorce and the vile choices of their mom, but mostly, it’s just fury. And fury needs a target. If not pointed at someone or something, fury has a tendency to make people overeat.

Overeating over time is how we got here in the first place.

Fury has no place in this day, this moment, this plump middle-aged (fk, who am I kidding) man’s heart. Fury will eat you up inside if you cannot redirect it out and away. Depression, as the story goes, is anger pointed inward. “Better to be homicidal than suicidal,” I always say.

If you don’t reach out what happens? If you reach out what happens? Is the cat dead in the box or alive? Was there ever a cat? I see no signs of cattery here.

One kid says give the other kid space. “He doesn’t need to be told he’s fucking up. He knows he’s fucking up.”

“So, best just to go quiet?”

“Yep.”

“That’s what would be best for you?”

We both laugh.

Read more Short-Short Stories from John.