Daddy's Fish BowlA Clear View Of A Father's Family Experiences

Watching All The Kids Play

And now for the thrilling conclusion of our breath taking sage: Stressed, Tested, & Bested! A bit much? No way, I know that you guys have been dreaming of this moment all weekend, dying to find out what took place during that dreaded phone call on that cold, dreary night. Okay, so I guess the night wasn’t cold and dreary, but you know what I’m getting at. So without further ado, let’s get into it. Let’s find out what exactly this kid could have done that warranted a phone call that essentially ended his existence in the modern social world.

A mere two days after our victory celebration over Ty’s great behavior, his teacher was calling with bad news again. This time, it was to inform us that Ty had possibly stolen another child’s rock. It’s okay, take a minute, soak that in, yes I said the boy may have potentially stolen another students rock. A freaking rock people, WTF? All the damn rocks on this planet, and he may have stolen one? Well Fefe immediately thought this was ludicrous. Especially because Ty had already come home and expressed his frustration with the accusation. She explained to the teacher that if Ty said that he didn’t take the boys rock, then he didn’t take it. He wasn’t raised that way and stealing isn’t in his character. The teacher responded that she didn’t want to make it seem as if she was accusing Ty, but this rock was very unique and a part of the boy’s collection, so she decided to let the boy take it home with a note asking his parents to confirm that it was in deed theirs. Totally confident that Ty wouldn’t dare steal another’s property, Fefe agreed to await the results.

During his explanation of the accusation, Ty vehemently denied taking the rock. He told us that he found a rock at the bus stop that just so happened to look exactly like this boys rock and that’s why he thought Ty took it. I’m no geologist or anything, so pointing out the similarities and differences between two rocks is above my pay grade, but Ty has been known to tell a lie or two and he is the class trouble maker, so i wouldn’t put it past him. Fefe thought otherwise, so Ty went to bed unscathed with the benefit of the doubt that night. I kept my fingers crossed, hoping that this would turn out to be a case of mistaken identity. Apparently finger crossing doesn’t have much pull in the realm of reality.

The next day, another phone call and this is when the bomb was dropped! Turns out, the parents confirmed that the rock was in deed from their collection, the boy’s Grandmother gave it to them and the kid brought it in as part of a project. The teacher continued on to explain that Ty strongly stuck to his story regarding the rock he found at the bus stop. His story never changed, the story was the same for Fefe, me, his teacher, as well as the assistant principal. But after some intense pressure and guilt tripping, Ty eventually caved in without admitting guilt. He finally said “well, if it’s so important to him then he can have it, I don’t care anymore”. Red flag, man down, stop the presses; something’s not right here. If the rock was truly his, then why would he just hand it over? Upon learning this new information, the kid gloves came off and I turned into this guy!

Fefe and I began to question Ty about the validity of his story. Asking the same question in different ways, hoping to find a kink in his armor. With each answer, the look of despair grew heavier on his face. He looked as if he want so bad to tell the truth, but couldn’t find the words to do it. Unfortunately those words never came, because he stuck to his story like it was gorilla glued to his tongue. Eventually, I flat out told him that I thought he was lying, he looked he looked me dead in my eyes and told me he wasn’t. So I decided to give him one last chance, I laid out what was going to happen WHEN (not if) I found out he was lying. Then I told him what would happen if he decided to tell the truth. He’d have to write a simple apology letter and all would be forgiven. We told him to go to his room and think about the choice he wanted to make. Confident in our superior parenting skills, and successfully backing Ty into a corner, we sat back and prepared to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Those fruits never blossomed. Instead of thinking about telling the truth, Ty decided to utilize that time in an attempt to improve his lie, boost its credibility if you will. This was his fatal mistake, once a story changes, you’ve given your opposition all the ammunition they need to take you out. That’s exactly what Ty did, he came downstairs with the stereotypical lie intro:”so what had happened is” and at the point I knew I had him. He explained something about a rock on the floor, a rock in his pocket, blah blah blah, none of that mattered at this point.

After some intense pressure and facts showing that his story wasn’t quite adding up, Ty finally broke down & gave in. He admitted to fabricating the story about finding the rock at the bus stop and owned up to taking that kids rock. But at this point it was too late. He had his opportunity & blew it. As a result, he now has no toys, he’s not allowed to watch TV, can’t go outside, kicked off the basketball team, and a slew of other reprimands that I can’t remember right now.

That may sound harsh for stealing a rock, but it’s not about that. It’s more so about the fact that this kid sat here, looked multiple adults dead in their eyes and lied about it with the skill of a high school boy professing his love on prom night. He was convincing, he was believable, and he would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those kids and their stupid dog! Oh wait, wrong story, sorry.

So what do you think? Does the time fit the crime? Did we throw the book at Ty unjustly? Let us know your thoughts.