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From: colonel@gloria.UUCP (George Sicherman)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Cat's in Cradle - Feedback.
Message-ID: <179@gloria.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 17-May-84 09:16:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: gloria.179
Posted: Thu May 17 09:16:55 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 18-May-84 06:01:42 EDT
Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science
Lines: 61

["Poppa get the hammer, there's a fly on baby's head."  --old song]

In this morning's mail:

>	In an article you posted on the net recently, you said
>	
>	"Too many parents are trying to love their children."
>	
>	Did you really mean this???  I don't see how anyone could
>	NOT love their children. I mean, they're part of you,
>	aren't they?  And as long as we're not loving our kids,
>	why SHOULD you feel as though you're required to love
>	your spouse for your entire life.  I mean, you get sick
>	of them, you just dump them, right?  Kids, wives, parents,
>	whatever!  If you really believe that crud, you make me sick.
>	
>			    Marie desJardins
>			    ...!hscvax!desjardins

Also in this morning's mail:

>	What an interesting attitude!!!  As I seemed to have started
>	this entire discussion, I would like to respond to you
>	privately...as I know I'd be flamed dreadfully.
>	
>	I agree.
>
>				[Address suppressed. --GLS]

To forestall what could be an avalanche, here's a copy of my reply to Marie:

v	Yes!  I did mean it, and I might have added that too many people
v	are TRYING to love their husbands or wives.  Typical attitudes:
v	
v		"Of COURSE I love my *, even though I insult him (her),
v		belittle him, beat him, and generally make him miserable."
v	
v		"Of course I SHOULD love my *.  Somehow I fear that I do
v		not.  There must be something wrong with me.  I'm just
v		a rotten *."
v	
v		"Of course I love my *.  He's (she's) my *, therefore I
v		love him.  That proves it."
v	
v	* Insert "husband", "wife", "child", "mother", "father", ...
v	
v	My point was that you cannot help whom you love.  If you hate somebody,
v	no amount of wishful thinking will change that.  And it's not good for
v	you or your child to believe you love him when you don't.
v	
v	If you accept your hate, you can build on it.  My wife and I sometimes
v	hate each other (what couple does not?), and we always tell each other.
v	Consequently our love is still growing.  I wish more people would avail
v	themselves of those three little words:
v	
v			"I hate you!"

Now if you still want to avalanche by mail or news, go ahead!
-- 
Col. G. L. Sicherman
...seismo!rochester!rocksvax!sunybcs!gloria!colonel