Tuesday, September 13, 2005

FRIENDLY ADVICE

If you are a father of an adorable, yet slightly perfectionist daughter,
And if that daughter mows the lawn,
And does a gosh darn nice job,
Even removing the bottom pieces of the gutters to mow under them,
Be thankful and tell her she is wonderful!

And if that perfectionist daughter forgets to put the gutters back together
And if it happens to rain that night
(Allowing water fall right along the foundation of the house)
(And causing the sum pump to run for most of the night).
Do not yell at her

Do not exagerate and tell her that it is going to create a path for all future water to drain into the basement creating an underground river that will cause the sum pump to run constantly until it breaks causin the basement to flood and mold to grown which will lead to the eventual seizure of the house by the EPA who will deam it inhabitable and force your poor-old parents to live their retirement on the streets.

It might be an effective short term strategy to make sure that the gutters are always put bck together.
Your perfectinoist daughter will never ever again leave the lower part of the gutter detached from the other part after mowing the lawn.
She will do her absolute best to make it perfect - because she loves you.

Yes, in the short term, your little speech is very effective!
But, 10-15 years later, when your feeling old, tired, cranky, and forgetful,
You will mow the lawn, and forget to put the gutters back together
And if your adorable perfectionist daughter happens to be spending the night, and it happens to rain, and the sum pump starts runing (and struggles to keep up) and the daughter happens to be sleepingin the basement, and hears the sum pump, and has to get out of her nice warm bed at 1:00 in the morning to go out in the rain and put the gutter back togther - - you will live to regret it.

Because, you see, your perfectionist daughter has a good memory.
And when you yell at her oh so long ago about the importance of having gutters, she will remember -- years later she will remember.

And the following morning will be quite enjoyable for her
But not for you!

Love 'ya Dad!
)