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The Slice

The Wednesday Slice

With Father's Day on the horizon, here's a baker's dozen of questions.

1. Do dads still teach sons to box (or fight in some other manner)?

2. Do they teach their daughters?

3. What if the kids are being brought up by a single mom?

4. Does the "This is just so you can defend yourself if all alternatives have been exhausted" talk still sound about the same as it did years ago?

5. Do 2012 dads teach kids how to simply repel aggression or do they show them how to render the attacker incapable of continuing the fight?

6. What can dads say to emphasize that movie/TV/video-game fights are not realistic?

7. How do you address the possibility of weapons being part of the picture?

8. Is there an approach to saying "The way to win fights is to be able to take a hard first punch and not fold up" without sounding like you secretly hope the kid will be slugging it out right and left?

9. At what age does a child need to hear "There will always be those you simply cannot defeat"? or "Losing, assuming you don't get maimed or mangled, can be better than some of the alternatives."

10. At what age does your son need to hear "Any girl who wants you to get in fights over her is bad news"?

11. At what age does your daughter need to hear "A boy who likes to start fights is bad news"?

12. How do you feel about teaching a child tactics that aren't exactly Marquess of Queensberry approved?

13. How many times should you say "Look, you're smart. Use your head. Walk away from that nonsense. Tough guys at your age are on the road to lousy lives."

 

Today's Slice question: Assuming you don't work a 9-to-5 schedule, have you ever watched the cable TV Department of Transportation street/highway cameras during rush hour just for entertainment?



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The online home for Paul Turner's musings and interactions with disciples of The Slice.