London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old
friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth
records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He
will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable
lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why
the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair;
and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies
(don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable
strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when
well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in
place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual
harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from
school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired
for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his
condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked
teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed
to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to
get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin
to a student; but could not inform parents when a student
became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches
became businesses; and criminals received better treatment
than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you
couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own
home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a
woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was
hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly
awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents,
Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter,
Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his
4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone
Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized
he was gone.

Teenagers (VENT)

So my 16 soon to be 17 year old and I are at it again. I'm at a loss. We want our kids to be happy, feel safe and secure. Mine does and it came back and bit me in the ass. He has the "what are you going to do about it" attitude. So I've had to go against my own beliefs and promises I made to myself when he was born. I swore He would never be hit, he would get his gr 12 and I wouldn't kick him out. I've asked him to move out . He only needs four more classes to get his gr 12. If he would put a little effort into it he would graduate in January. He hates school, hates homework , hates chores and going to work. All normal for a teenager. Too bad its life and has to be done. Only How do you make them do it. I told him he had to sit at the table and do his homework. He sat there for 6 hrs and did nothing but bitch. I Love him so much and he abuses it. He is sullen and moody and disrespectful. I could handle the battles of raising a teenager if he was just kind and helpful once in awhile. He says what he has too, to get what he wants from me and then treats me like crap as soon as he gets it. I don't understand what happened. Hes completely different from 18 months ago. At this point all the tension and fighting isn't fair to anyone exspecially his little brother.. I've lost my son and have know idea how to get him back.