Israeli Military Police Officer Natalia Fadeev, OJ Wearing Gloves Last Time Bengals Won Playoff Game & BMW Changes Colors
The 'Don't Blink' topic rolls on
I want to start with a message sent in by Bob in Oklahoma, the father of three boys who went on to have successful football playing & coaching careers. Let me just say that Bob should probably be on a speaking circuit talking to high school coaches, but he has a nice life in Oklahoma with his grills, his dog, and crops to tend to.
You got to make the most of those days. I raised 3 young men. As a result, I’ve got 9 grandkids and many other teammates and players that call me “Pop." I think I did a pretty good job.
You got to teach ‘em how to work. Get them a dog or dogs and show them how to take care of them. You got to show ‘em the value of an education. You got to take ‘em to church. Don’t be scared to read the Bible and pray. You got to teach ‘em to respect the law. They have to learn there are consequences to breaking rules. You got to teach ‘em to never give up and do the right thing.
You have to teach ‘em to respect women and be polite. Say “Yes, sir. & Yes, ma’am. Please and THANK YOU”. You have to support them in all positive endeavors. You got to teach ‘em to be a team player and that everyone has a contribution to make. You got to teach them to be generous in every occasion and to be able to forgive others, maybe not forget, but forgive.
We went to lots of games and practices.
We cut lots of grass.
We cut firewood and built fence.
We picked up a lot of trash.
We worked cattle and hauled hay.
They learned how to plant and take care of a garden.
They learned how to smoke meat and cook for yourself.
We watched a lot of sports on TV and in person.
And I always told them, "It ain’t OK to start trouble, but it’s fine to FINISH it."
We caught lots of fish, killed squirrels, deer and ducks. We camped in the woods. We hung around with granddads and grandmas. We talked about old times with them. We learned about where our people came from and how we got to where we were. We learned lots of old family stories and many jokes and funny stories. We played tricks on each other. They learned how to doctor dogs and cows from their dad, granddad and others. That’s one way you learn respect and learn about life.
Did I mention we cut a lot of grass and caught lots of fish? Everyone had a job and we all did our part.
We had fun.
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From Bob's life in Oklahoma:
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You're darn right I wouldn't mind pulling into Bob's driveway -- his dog running along the car -- and soak in this life that he's built in Oklahoma. Yep, wouldn't mind having some of those ribs while Bob tells me about life in this part of the country. I want to hear about the mowing, the adventures, the trials and tribulations.
Fox Nation needs to give me a documentary on Bob. If that doesn't happen, I hope Bob checks in from time to time to share with the Screencaps community what he's up to. At least show what's been on the grill racks.
• Screencaps legend Tim L. wants in on 'Don't Blink' & he's taking a contrarian stance:
Let's talk about blinking. I'm the Reverse Cromartie/Henry/Thompson. 7 kids 1 woman. Yup, you heard me right, 7 children. Ages 3-14. So, how do I not blink? I suggest the opposite of everyone else. Don't make them the center of your world. Focus on the wife. Treat her as the center of your universe and the kids will notice and learn.
As far as kids go, don't indulge them. They want to learn from you, not the other way around. It doesn't matter what you're into. All of my moochers would tell you their favorite thing is to stay up late and hear Daddy's drunken history rants. Tom Brady is the most overrated QB. Lincoln was a tyrant who suspended habeas corpus. Margaret Sanger was a racist eugenicist. Government officials, especially cops, who enforce Covid rules are Nazi officers. Teach them instead of indulging them.
• Another Screencaps legend, Indy Daryl, brings up something I haven't seen covered from the 'Don't Blink' emailers:
Good morning! Screencaps was awesome this morning. I love all the advice and ways in which people are engaging their kids and families. It was such an encouragement to read and provided a challenge to me. One thing that was hinted at, but not explicitly mentioned, is this: PUT DOWN MY PHONE! It is so easy to think that "seeing" the experiences of others, or the next article, or the next post, or the next "ding" and the attention that my phone "demands" is what is most important. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am reminded of a song lyric by one of my favorite artists, Chris Renzema:
I've been hiding in my phone
I have been missing all the moments I'm trying to find
When I put my phone down, all that I am trying to gain and squeeze from it, becomes abundantly clear in my wife, kids, and actual people in front of me. Those are the people and spaces that demand my attention and actually deserve it. That's where those moments are actually found.
I couldn't imagine being in your business where the next crazy story could happen at any moment and your reporting on it essentially keeps the lights on. For what its worth, from a loyal Screencaps and OutKick reader, please don't ever think that I am more important than your family and time spent with them. Can't speak for every reader, but I think it's safe to say take whatever time you need, screencap readers are here for the long haul.
Enjoy the cold front coming in tonight!
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I'm getting much better with it, Indy Daryl. These days my eyes are so tired after 10 hours of looking at a monitor that reading off a phone is a chore these days. I hate it. Advantage: my wife and kids. Last night, I threw logs into the fireplace, relaxed while my son read a book, and I listened to my wife talk about what's going on with her job.
• Paul S. in Atlanta has easy, simple advice that will make the whole 'Don't Blink' thing a breeze:
Lots of good ideas and advice this morning on screencaps. Here's one my wife and I figured out for mid to late teen years (we have a 20 and 18-year-old) and it's unbelievably simple.
Go for a one-on-one walk with your teenager, 2-3 miles or however long you can stretch it. Tell them "I need the exercise and want some company". By the second mile, you'll start to learn more about what's going on in their life than you ever will at the dinner table. And at the same time, you can share experiences that may help, but remember, you are there to LISTEN.
Here's another parenting idea and it doesn't really fit into the "don't blink" category, but I thought it was useful. During the high school years, over the summer, we made our children go to the British Broadcasting website (bbc.com) and read the travel articles and tell us what they learned. The articles are interesting, well-written and broadened my children's minds about other places/cultures.
• John in PA has some very good advice:
Hey Joe. One thing I cannot recommend enough is keeping a journal of your days when the kids are young. I started mine when my kids were 7,3, and one on the way. They are now 21,17, and 14.
It is amazing how many things that happen when they are young and you say to yourself “I’ll definitely never forget this” and sure enough years later you do. But then I read about it in my journal and that great memory comes right back to me(and then). I’ve been making 3-5 journal entries a week for the past 14 years and it is absolutely awesome to go back and read about our days when they were little.
The kids love reading through them and just crack up at all the funny things they did when they were younger. I never tried to take anything for granted when they were small but the journal has been incredibly helpful in remembering all the little things that make every day different and great. About six years ago, I even got a Polaroid and tape a picture in there a couple times a month so they pictures as well. Start that journal now when your boys are young and trust me you will be glad you did.
• Kirk W. has some thoughts:
Great work as always on the columns and making this a community. My minions are 14 and 11, and though we have traveled and gone and done things, the best thing you can do is just be there and give time. My children when they were younger would ask me to go out and play with them, and all we ended up doing was walking around on our property and looking at various insects and things. Later on they would come hug me and say things like thanks for playing with me daddy. Memories of trips will fade, things will break or be outgrown, but the time spent just being there will be time well spent.
One other thing if you get the power wheels Jeep, with a little bit of ingenuity it is possible to mount the Nerf Gatling gun to the hood so the passenger can be the gunner while the driver minds the vehicle. Teamwork at its finest.
• The power wheel thing turned into an email from Levi T. in Arkansas:
Been reading your stuff from the start and many things discussed are mirror images to my day-to-day life in Arkansas.
I want to pass along a thought to Craig in Indy on his recent power wheels purchase. My son is 7 and we bought him a power wheels truck when he was 3. We’ve went through multiple sets of wheels and replaced the gears and motor, too. (On a side note-the world of power wheel upgrades is real. We upgraded the gears and the speed was appreciated by my son.)
Looking back, the one thing I wish I would have done was to have hooked up an odometer somehow. I would love to know the number of miles he’s put on that toy over the years. It has to be in the hundreds.
Keep resonating with us simple folk, Joe.
• Thought this would be a good time to share the backyard rink built by DIY Pete, a guy I've been following for several years who always seems to raise the bar with these projects. Pete's always looking out for us regular guys who would appreciate a hockey warming shack and lighted red and blue lines.
I'd embed videos, but Facebook won't allow it, so here are screenshots of DIY Pete's rink.
• Now it's time to go get my mom from the airport. She joked this morning that it was freezing (55) in Tampa on her way to the airport. Mom's in for a big surprise when she lands here in NW Ohio.
The wind chill is below zero and it's full-on January. Hope she's ready to help me create Nerf target practice objects for the kids because it's going to be a garage beer kind of weekend around here. I'll get the sawhorses out, the kids can set up their targets and blast away. And we get another weekend of regular-season NFL action. I'll survive.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com