When our children are very young, we teach them that they are expected to "play fair." They must share their toys with other children even if they don't want to do that. Why do we do that? Nobody will make a grown man share his boat with his neighbor! Nobody will make an adult woman share her fancy computer-controlled sewing machine with the other ladies who live on her street.
When they get a bit older, they are outside playing ball and an errant throw break's the neighbor's kitchen window. What do we do? We make them say, "I'm sorry." Imagine that you're in court, waiting for the judge to pronounce your sentence after being convicted for murdering your mother-in-law. The judge asks, "Do you have anything to say before I pass sentence?" You reply, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it. I promise I won't do it again!"
A few years later, we come home and notice a dent on the back bumper of Junior's car. "How'd that dent happen?" we ask, and Junior says, "What dent?" Know what happens to Junior? He gets his cell phone taken away! For a whole week!
Now I'm 60 years old, I'm self-employed. I'm suppose to make enough money to pay my salary, my assistant's salary, pay all the business expenses and taxes, put some money into retirement, take care of a house, two cars, and a slightly hypochondriac but otherwise loveable wife . . . plus help Grandma when the grandurchins invade our home for the weekend.
Nobody warned me that being an adult would be like this. I just thought I would have a car and wouldn't need to get permission before I went somewhere, and maybe I'd have sex a little more often. No, what I got was something completely different and I definitely did NOT agree to this. I would gladly share my football AND my baseball if I did not need to continue working.
Nobody prepared me for this and I have very little time to play at anything. Boy, am I pissed!
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