#5 came home from school last week holding an ice pack to his eye.
I asked him what happened and he told me about some game they were playing where the boys were zombies and the girls were trying to keep them away, and he got kicked in the eye because zombies couldn’t go up on the blacktop. Apparently, zombies only crawl on the ground in this game.
He wanted to know if he was going to have a black eye. He isn’t incredibly brave and sounded frightened about it. I took a look and couldn’t lie.
“Yes, ” I said. “I think so.”
“Cool!” He said. “Black eyes make you look tough.”
He was bummed when, in fact, it didn’t become a black eye. A few days later he came into our room and said this:
“I have new words to live by. You know how I got kicked in the eye? Well, we were outside because we did good. We worked hard and got extra recess. So now I say, sometimes hard work pays off, and sometimes it comes back and kicks you in the face.”
What words do you live by?
JM Randolph, accidentalstepmom 
When do you anticipate #5 getting his own blog? The boy’s golden.
I’d like to second everything in the above comment!
The problem is that if I give him his own blog, I’m down like 70% of my material. What the hell would I write about?
I agree with Chase. I mean, how many kids actually verbalize their own “Words to Live By”?
He’s a piece of work, that’s for sure!
Do thye right thing and you’ll sleep better at night, most of the time.
Very true! I like those words.
I love that your #5 has words to live by! I’m not sure what my words to live by might be — but maybe it’s something like “You must do something to make the world more beautiful” (courtesy of the fabulous Miss Rumphius)….yeah, that pretty much sums it up!!! Happy Thursday, JM!
Spoken by someone who has done much to make the world more beautiful- excellent words, Betty. Happy Friday back atcha!
#5 sounds like one smart cookie!
I noticed your tweet about Godiva and your dog.My 20 pound dog ate a whole package (1 pound) of Hershey kisses and did not even get upset stomach.With the wrappers. Maybe Hersey does not have enough cocoa in it ;-(
Some dogs just defy the odds. Not to mention their owners.
#5 is clearly wise beyond his years!
p.s. my dog ate a block of bakers chocolate and had to have her stomach pumped and spend the night on an iv. it wasn’t pretty.
Oh, no fun. We’ve had Jack in at the vet on emergency basis for things he ate, but not chocolate for some reason (and never Casey- she’s always fine). It totally sucks having your pet on an IV.
I’m with Chase, get that boy a blog!
I’m finding that I’m all territorial about who gets to use his good lines.
LOL Yeah, to add onto what the others are saying, that does sound like the tag line for a blog. A blog I would soooo read!
You won’t be surprised to hear the words I live by are: Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.
Ooh, love that!!
While I wholeheartedly support and endorse gojulesgo’s words to live by, mine are “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” And “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” No, seriously, they are. I try. Is that a totally vomit-worthy set of words to live by?
Also, I’m starting to feel like #5 and Good Greatsby’s Optimist Prime should meet.
My father’s saying many years ago was “Do unto others as you would they should do unto you” and I try to live by that.
I also live by “We are here for a good time, not a long time”.
That’s all good stuff. But I think if #5 and Optimist Prime were to meet, it might be a “neither can live while the other survives” kind of thing. Could be ugly.
#5 is brilliant.
I don’t have “official” words to live by, but lately I’m clinging to, “This too shall pass.”
It does that, all of it. Hang in there.
My oldest son, now nearly 27 was 12 when he became wise. His exact words were, “Let me get this straight. You are crabby a week before your period. You are achy and crabby a week during your period. You are recovering a week after your period. What? We only get one good week a month?” I just patted him on the head and said, “Now you understand and you’re a man.” I still laugh about that.
I love #5.
I’m trying to live by these words, sometimes successfully and most times not: “The important thing is this, to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” Charles DeBoer
Your kids say the most awesome things! But what is it with the zombie thing? Just read similar zombie love in a goodgreatsby post. And I just wrote a post about a zombie festival we saw this weekend. Creepy!