Buddy, you are preaching to the choir. Having grown up in a large family I know all the dirty tricks in the book. My wife is a mediator and tries to patch things up first, but I have a knack for seeing through my kids and try to be 2 – 4 steps ahead of them. The mediation, however noble, becomes a hindrance.

My oldest daughter has had 17 years of experience in “Don’t even try to get one over on Dad”. At one point I had her believing I had eyes at the back of my head and could see through walls.

We’ll just have to see how this one plays out over the years. I know you’re a father to some older kids, and can relate.

Thanks for commenting.

Tom´s last blog post..Accolades

My wife knows she babys him and lets him get away with a lot of things. She does a lot of bargaining on his behalf when I “TRY” to lay down the law. Unfortunately she does this in his presence, rather than in private. I’ve told her many times that it needs to stop.

Lately, I’ve been keeping my blood pressure down by having her deal with his antics. I’ll be damned if the lid doesn’t blow off her kettle just as quickly as mine. Although it isn’t funny (OK, so sometimes it is), theres the slight feeling of vindication when it happens.

He’ll outgrow this phase. They all do. I just want it to be over soon.

I always knew that he used his Mom as an excuse to get away with things, I just didn’t know how truly capable he was of other things until now. The bar has been set, and it’s pretty high.

The eight days were an eye opener for sure, but I just enjoyed the peace that reigned throughout that time. It was a defininte change of pace.

I’m curious what your wife makes of it, maybe he sees her as the weak link (for want of a better word)?