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We lock our bedroom door now.

One of my favorite Western films is 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) is a captured outlaw who is being escorted by several men to be placed on a train to go to court in Yuma. At one point in the film, on the first overnight stay en route to Yuma, Ben Wade and others are sleeping around a campfire. Wade tires of listening to one of his captors’ singing so he kills the man while the others slept.

Why do I bring this up?

I have a teenager at home who has constantly gone to battle with Cora and me over the importance of school work. We emphasize the necessity of getting good grades. He would illustrate the lack of importance of this if he wasn’t receiving the constant “parental pressure”. I am SO grateful that school will be over within the next couple of weeks and there may be peace in my home once again. Although I am a seasoned veteran at this “parenting” thing, I am fairly new to handling a teenager. I may tire of the battle, but at this point, I am not to the point I will kill my teenager in his sleep. I think my 40 years on this earth have helped me learn patience and that is what keeps me from placing a pillow over his face. On the other hand, I am not certain my son has learned this patience and there is a very high probability he WILL kill my wife and me in our sleep.

In the 17 years I have been married, I don’t recall locking our bedroom door until this year. Well, I take that back. All parents play Scrabble in their rooms at night and this game usually inspires the forethought of locking the door.

A few weeks ago, after a heated discussion with our teenager, I walked over and set our bedroom’s alarm system (wind chime hanging from the doorknob) and secured the door with 2x4’s and duct tape. The Scrabble game was left in the game closet. Cora asked what I was doing.

“I have a feeling he is going to kill us while we sleep.”

“If he wanted to kill us, that door isn’t going to keep him out.”

“I know,” I replied, “at least it will slow him down.”

“Oh great, I sleep closest to the door.”

“Sucks to be you! This is why I sleep closest to the window so your death will buy me time in slipping outside.”

“You wouldn’t try to save me?”

“I’ll make a valiant effort, but we’re both older now. We’ve all gotta go sometime. Just seems your time may come earlier than mine.”
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Comments

  1. Curtis MoserMay 24, 2011 at 6:54 PM

    So glad to see you blogging again! Nice post--a little grim, but a grim day is better than no day, I always say.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ShannonNovember 18, 2011 at 9:03 AM

    I'm glad you're getting all practiced up so that we can send our kids to live with you when they're teenagers.

    ReplyDelete

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