Thursday, September 21, 2017

Oh the Arguing and The Irony

Alex's bike finally gave up on us, and we had to replace it.  We were really trying to make it last this season, but it had different ideas, so a new (to us) bike was in order.  I found a nice used one, and he absolutely loves it and now is dying to ride his bike to school.  Sure thing, just find your bike lock and we're good to go.  Uh huh.

That was when he told us he has it, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut he doesn't remember the combination to get it unlocked.  I reminded him that we set it together and I remember it, so it's ok.  Yes, it would be ok if he hadn't changed it after we set it.  So now we have a bike lock with some random 4 digit number that will unlock it, and nobody knows what that number is.

So yesterday morning was full of Alex saying, "Oh!  I know what it is!  It's _ _ _ _," and then me trying whatever string of numbers he rattled off only to have the lock remain, well, locked.  After the fifth or sixth go 'round with that, Alex gave up and said, "Well, can't we just go buy a new one?"  Yeah, not a good time to flippantly bring up the fact that you think we should just go buy a new bike lock because your little 8 year old self decided to change the combination your mother set for you.  But, I was not the one to lose my cool over this.  Travis took the reigns.  Poor Alex.

Travis went on a bit of a lecture about how irresponsible it was for Alex to change the combination and then forget it.  And that we weren't about to go run out and spend another $20 to replace the lock so he could have the privilege of riding his new bike to school.  And that Alex needs to spend some time trying to figure out what he might have set the combination as instead of just giving up.  And that Alex's cousin worked in a cheese factory this summer for $10 an hour and it would take him 2 hours to earn enough money to buy new bike lock.  And clearly Alex doesn't understand the worth of money.

During this whole lecture, I managed to bite my tongue and not remind Travis that his bike lock?  Yeah, that sucker has been locked to Travis's bike for the last three years because he lost the key.  I held my tongue until Travis took a break from talking to Alex, and came down to my desk all frustrated with "how irresponsible Alex is" with his things and how glib Alex is about money.  That was when I said that I was frustrated as well, but just keep in mind you too have a useless bike lock.  It happens.  You're 39 years old.  He's 8.  But apparently that is different because Travis lost the key to his lock when we were moving.  Oh, ok.

Travis then decided he was going to try every single number from 0000 to 9999 until he found the number that unlocked the lock.  He also decided he was unequivocally pissed that Alex wasn't willing to an active participant in that endeavor.  After a lot of arguing and pouting, Travis said, "You do realize if I sit here and take the time and find the combination, you're gonna owe me $20, right?"  Now.  A lot of kids would have realized this was a rhetorical question.  A lot of kids would have quickly understood this was NOT a good time to get the last word in.  A lot of kids would have sat there pouting across from their irritated father, but they would have sat there silently.  Welp, Alex is not a lot of kids.  Instead of any of those options, he snarkily replied, "Well, do you have change for thirty?"

I don't know if Travis was angrier at the stupidity of that question or the backtalk, but I do know it was a good thing Alex promptly removed himself from the room.

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