Father & Son Evening

This evening my wife and daughter attended the annual Brownie "cookie rally". This is where my daughter's Brownie (little Girl Scouts) troop gathers together to get their Girl Scout Cookie information. I won't go into the Girl Scout Cookie saga of last year; if anyone is interested please see the archives regarding "Girl Scout Cookie Episode". Yes, one year has just about passed by and here we are again selling the Girl Scout Cookies. In some ways this past year seems like 100 years and in some ways it seems like 10 minutes. No matter how fast or how slow the year has gone by the key for me life is getting better and there is no stopping or turning back time. Each day is better than the last and I am finally being the person I am capable of being.

With my daughter and wife attending the "Girl Scout Cookie Rally" it was time for a father & son evening. My friend had called earlier and he was taking care of his son while his wife and daughter were also attending the "cookie rally" and had asked me if we were interested in going to the movies. Unfortunately the movie they were seeing we had already seen because when we get together it seems all parties (fathers and sons) have a good time. So it was just my son and I for the evening. I decided to take him to a different movie (Cheaper by the Dozen 2) because he had wanted to see this movie ever since it came out last month and really enjoyed the first movie (Cheaper by the Dozen). I know funds are tight but I have to enjoy each and every day with my family so I decided to splurge for the movie.

As far as movies go Cheaper by the Dozen 2 was okay; however; it did hold my four year old's interest which is extremely important. There were two critical points of the movie; the first was when the movie started and my son nudged me and asked if he could sit on my lap. Of course I couldn't I say no to my sweet little boy and hopped up onto my lap for the entire movie. The second critical point was the end of the movie and I won't give away the ending but I will say the theme of the movie is family and parenting. One line by one of the children in the movie brought tears to my eyes; "as far as being a parent we know you are not 100% right all the time but we do know that you love us dearly". It may not sound like much in print and I am sure most people who have viewed this movie didn't have the same reaction I did but my eyes welled up with tears. I try my best with my children and despite all the horrendous things I have done to other people I love my children dearly and do try my best.

My best was tainted for the past several years but now my best is clearly my best. There are no distractions (meaning NO gambling) to get in the way and I do savor every minute with them. The simplest pleasures bring me the most joy; I watched a movie with my son sitting on my lap and it was just he and I; life truly does not need to get any better than that. Life moves rather rapidly and I know I will miss a few years with my children but no matter what happens I will always love them and do my best.

I came across two websites that I found fascinating and wanted to share them; the first one is title Gambling Addiction Crime Against Business. It outlines cases in which crimes have been committed by compulsive gamblers to feed their habit. It is a very extensive list and there are many horrible cases like a 66 year old grandmother who stole $4.9 million from her employer to feed her gambling habit; she was sentenced to 31 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay back full restitution. It doesn't matter how old, young, intelligent, affluent, down trodden or any other category the compulsive gambling illness does not discriminate and it literally can strike anyone.

The second website is a more up to date collection on stories regarding gambling crime and corruption. One of the more fascinating stories states; "Research suggests that on a national basis casino gambling generates externally costs in the range of $40 billion annually, and crime is one of the biggest components of these social costs." That is staggering and if the number is correct it would be a wash as to the amount of money casinos generate to the amount of money casinos cost. Is it really a zero sum game? I highly suggest reviewing these two sites and the second site is more comprehensive because you can research the articles in their entirety.