Hi Jim,
You may be envious to child-free people, but, however, I think you still have more positive than negative with your kids. You seem to be such a great father for them. See, if my animals make a mess in the living room (I used to have a dog who would intentionally poop on beds! ), or chew something up, or wake me up at 3 am, it is annoying. But I still would rather have animals than don't have them. It is probably similar thing here. I just appreciate freedom too much for being a parent.
Sorry, the stealing thing, especially with cars, are always drive me crazy and mad...
I just hope you guys will find a right solution for this priblem. Good luck.

Did he actually steal the truck? I could not imagine if some one /anyone stole my car... it is my livelihood and I would be buggered without it! I hope all goes well from now on, especially with such a busy household.
And Kathy, thanks for the advice, I am pretty sure I will be sticking with just the two now!!!
Tammy

Wow it's never a dull moment in your household is it.

My bro stole the family car when he was about 15 with one of his mates. Mum was going to charge him but my Dad talked her out of it. They decided that him & his mate would pay back the insurance company for the market value of the car. Took him a long time to pay it off but he did it. At the time he was an arsehole about it & gave my parents a few extra grey hairs in the process. 15 yrs later I'm pleased to say that he looks back on his choices with regret. Just hope that your boy sees that if he keeps going down that path he may end up locked up & miserable.

to you & hope that things settle down for you soon

Yes Tammy, he actually stole Jim's truck, and additionally he is underage and does not have a license! It is quite a mess. Jodee, he definitely will be paying back the money for the truck, in one way or another. We are still weighing the pros and cons of charging him with stealing the vehicle vs. having him pay us back. If we do not charge him, we will not get our insurance money. We are out thousands of dollars, which is quite frankly a burden for us and which will take him years to pay back. It is quite a thorny situation! I share your hope though, that as he becomes older he sees the error of his ways. We are certainly not rejecting him, we love him and will still be there for him always, however he does need to take responsibility for his actions as well! Thank you all for the support.

Tammy, my car was once. Kathy, I just hope you will find the solution which is optimal for all. When my brother broke the family car, my father made him to work until he paid everything we lost. I think people should know that if they want to have something, they must work hard. Anyways. just hope things will get better soon.
Take care,
Linda

Agreed Linda, believe in hard work myself. Whether we get our insurance money or not, the boy will still be paying us the money owed, or at least a portion. However. Still haven't decided his fate entirely. ;-)

Jim.

My apologies to all, I simply haven't had the energy to post lately, with "interesting" events occuring at home and here online there has not been a lot of me left I'm afraid! I do hope to do a bit more posting in the coming week however. And, I am planning to add a couple more articles to the information sections. Take care all and thank you for your patience.

I am with you, Linda, on the Child-free thing! We have been to Fiji twice, Europe 4 times in 13 years, we can go on vacation any time we want, we have money to spend on ourselves, we live comfortably, and when we hear stories about other people's children getting into trouble, Darling Husband just kisses me, and we give each other a look. We know that we were not cut out to be good parents. You all out there go forth and multiply. We don't have the patience.

2Quilt, I am not even thinkong of freedom to go whereever or to spend all money to myself. I just know that, if I will become a parent, I will copy my father's behavior, which beyond negative for kids. I am a good Auntie for many boys and girls (hubby has 12 siblings!), and enjoy buying them gifts and playing with them. But I am not responsible for their behavior, as their parents are. I can love them even if they are not exactly as I want them to be. So, child-free is definetely not a bad option for a potentially abusive parent. The only thing bothering me is that my bloodline will be discontinued :(

Linda, it is definitely a good idea to not have children if you feel you may abuse them! Unfortunately many people do not even consider that, they have children regardless of their own personal circumstances, financial, emotional or otherwise. It seems many consider having children a right when it is actually a privilege!

2quilt, I do understand your reasoning for not having children, and more power to you. Society places too much emphasis upon having children. Not everyone is equipped to do so nor has the interest! That being said however, in spite of our difficulties, Jim and I cannot imagine our lives without our children. As little ones they were all a joy. And in our experience, once they are past adolescence, and if you are fortunate to have a good relationship with them as we do, it is wonderful! Financially speaking, we have had to make some sacrifices over the years however we are still able to go on many of those trips you speak of. ;) We are going to Curacao and Venezuala for Christmas.