"Age has rank…
and rank has privilege."
One of my father’s frequent sayings….usually in response to some question from my brother or sister about why I was in charge….and later on why I was allowed to do something or go somewhere one of them were not. Although I probably had some superior smug smirk on my face…in reality having privileges meant additional duties and accountability.
I was given a great deal of responsibility early on. When I was seven, my brother four, and my sister a just born baby my Mama had cancer surgery. Although we had help, I became a babysitter, caregiver…and sorta a third parent. From then until I left for college, I had weekly outside chores in the yard as well as weekly and daily inside chores of cleaning. Looking back I had a great deal of power in our family…probably more than I should have. To this day it is an issue between my sister and I…although I quit telling her what to do about 24 years ago.
Some of my father’s other sayings were:
"Think about what you have to gain…
and think about what you have to lose."
"I am king and you are nothing."
(he was only sorta kidding)
"Almost everything is relative.
Only two things are absolute…
God’s love and a parent’s love for his child. "
Mo hosts Manic Monday....surf here to see his other minions...the cool graphic and so much more were created by Janna of JannaGraphics.
31 comments:
Heh! "I am king and you are nothing..."
For some reason that made me laugh. :)
I like that "rank" saying. It's a staple of a lot of our moms and dads. Have a great MM!
One of my dad's favorite sayings was "Who are you, again?"
Wait....maybe that wasn't my dad.
Katherine, thanx for visiting my MM:Rank post. I truly appreciated you sharing your sayings from your Dad. My dad passed away on 10/31/2007 and I'm quietly reflecting on some of the sayings that he imparted to me as well.
Plus, you reminded me how fun it is to be the oldest sibling (smile).
peace, Villager
I'm saving the rank saying. It'll come in handy when it's time for dishes.
Your father's saying rank right up there among the best.
Great Manic Monday post! I'm not sure if my post lived up to par or not... hmmm. Please come by and visit my blog, tell me what you think! RANK IT! LOL
It's no wonder that you are so wise. Cheers!!
I'm going to have to use that first one about rank and privilege.
They all already know I'm king.
Yeah right, king of bullshit maybe.
~Oswegan
One of my father’s frequent sayings was "Boy, I'll knock your asshole up around your shoulder blades so's that you'll have to part your hair to take a shit".
I was raised by a tough guy in a mining town. Had to learn to get a thick skin. When you're beat a lot you have to learn to take a lot.
You have some nice quotes on this site, I'm going to snitch some of the ones I already have. See how I am. :-)
I mean.... I'm going to snitch some of the ones I DON'T already have.
janna: it's funny NOW
shelia: age should be worth something!
Fab: maybe it was mine?
villager: so recent! they stay with us forever..don't they?
mel: just tell him I said so!
jamie: he has his moments!
deb: I'll be there soon.
matt: I am my father's daughter.
oswegan: laughing...good luck!
BBC: you are a survivor! snitch away...credit where credit is due...smile...
Oh, one more comment, I live in a much smaller town than you do. When I hike to the hot springs or go to the beaches it is always very peaceful there as not many people are doing those things. And the few that do are good and peaceful people.
All the nuts stay in town and leave us in peace.
Great quotes, I am borrowing them to use with our four kids. I agree with Janna, the "I am King" quote made me laugh too.
Thank you for sharing some of your father's sayings ...
Happy Monday to you
SMOOCHES~
I just never shut up…. LOL
Was looking at some of your old posts “Just wondering how many of you have body art...
old tattoo…new acquisition…secret branding?”
When I was about 16 I did my own tattoo at a cousins home in Salt Lake City. It’s a small heart on my right upper arm. Years later I had LC added above it after my wife died, they are her initials. But some day I’m going to change it to LG. To mean Love Goddess. Or maybe I won’t, but that is the only tat I have and I have no desire to get another one. Your tat is nice, I like to see nice small tats on women, just not a lot of them.
It's tough being the oldesst, katherine. I know my brother is 2 years younger than me. Having power stinks!
Come visit me at Work of the Poet.
i am the empress and you are nothing. oh, wait, that's not right either! ha ha (only kidding!!!)
great post!
Sounds like your father was a wise man. Very well done. Have a great MM. :)
Sounds like you had a lot of responsibility at such a young age....but your Dad sounded like he had a great sense of humor too.
Peace
I heard alot "I am the parent and you are the child so you do as I say" Have a great Monday.
HA! i LOVE the 'rank' saying--that's awesome!
One of my dad's favorite sayings is "Don't sweat the small stuff"
i like that too
Great quotes!!!!
Sounds like your Dad had to be strick to keep the wheels from flying off the wagon (so to speak).
I think that young people given responsibility have the best chance to become responsible adults. Looking back, I think I might have been too much of a friend and not enough of a father in some instances.
My dad was not a King kind of a guy and his sayings were generally way above my head... but I, too, had way too much power in our family.
And then there was me - the baby of the family who had lots of power in my rank as well...
I think I shall start using the king quote -- very, very often ;-)
As the oldest child, I completely understand this post...though as the oldest, in the end, they got away with more than I did since mom and dad decided to loosen up....hehehehe
'Let's not and say we did' that was one I heard too many times LOL
Sounds like your Dad and mine had some similar ways of thinking - especially when it comes to that whole "I am king" thing! But if a man's home can't be his castle then what can??
Sorry I'm getting here so late! But it's the west coast and it's not quite 10:30pm, so it's still Monday.
Whew!
This is a good story, and I relate as an oldest child. My mom was a single parent from the time I was 10 and my sister was 5. I was the man of the family at that point, responsible for both of us after school until Mom got home.
My sis and I had a great relationship though. I guess I wasn't such a big jerk as a brother-in-charge.
Or maybe I was and she forgave me for it. LOL!
However I ended up getting it right, I'm glad I did because we have a very close relationship as adults even though there are a lot of miles between us at this point in our lives.
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