The Dharma Force

Siblings

Do you guys have siblings?
As you are growing up, do you pick on your brothers/sisters, or had you been picked on by your brothers/sisters?
Did you parents stop the bickering, or do they just let them go?

I meant to ask these questions since I saw the movie "Home Alone 4".

Poor Kevin always seemed to be picked on by his brother or his sister. He had to do their chores. And they bullied him by knocking off the things he was carrying, or pushed him downstairs, or sat on him, or slammed garbage can lids on his hands.

I actually almost yelled when the lid hit his hand. It is just parental instinct I guess. His hand could be seriously damaged.

The shocking thing to me was that when Kevin talked to his mother, she did nothing to stop them. She only said, "Poor Kevin, they do like to pick on you, huh?"

Huh? That was it? No angry yelling to his brother, no angry punishment for their misdeed, not even a yell of "Hey! Pick on someone your own size!"

I am quite puzzled by this. Is that kind of the American Culture thingy? Or was that just the movie thingy?

Maybe the writer had a miserable childhood, or he was just lazy. Weird.

And by reading the words above, obviously, you all had a pretty good idea of where I stand.

I am an only child, so is my wife, so throughout our childhood, we never had to deal with stuff like this.

But now, I have two kids. My older one, the 7 year old daughter is a good girl, but sometimes, she'd like to pick on her brother as well. Sometimes, it was just unintentional, knocking him on the ground while she was running, and sometimes, he really needed to be yelled at. He would intentionally pick on her just to see her reaction. So...

My throat is sore from all the yelling. And my heart is almost always pumping hard from all the fast running to break them apart.

Now, only if one of you guys, anyone can tell me, "Hey, I always pick on my little brother, and my parents never did anything, and look how we turned out?"
Ok, I will need two positive ID card, plus college degrees, and current employment record with finicial statements, and also three good independent Psych evaluation... And references from your past and current teachers, neighbors, and garbage men.

Please? Pretty please? You know it is Christmas, and I really need that rest.

I can already imagine I was waving that thick folder while the two kids rolling on the ground, and my wife said, "Go, do something!"
I will just wave, yeah, just wave, and said, "Bah! Don't worry honey, they will be fine. Now, please pass me that beer."

Anyone? Anyone?

*Sign* *Big Sign!*

My friend hutch1957 decided not to blog on the latest "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" with Noah Wyle.

Hey I am not so picky, so I will do it. I don't see anything wrong with the movie.

Yes, the movie is like a light version of "Indiana Jones" movies, and yes, it is so light, it is like purified water, but Noah Wyle is witty and Gabrielle Anwar is pretty. That is enough for me.

And the movie is funny. Especially when they found the mines. Noah Wyle picked up a scroll of paper and said with excitement, "Look! Dead Sea Scrolls!" That was so funny, I almost toppled off the chair.

He might just have said, "Look! an iPod!" That might prove King Solomon is a time traveller and he is pretty groovy!

But Dead Sea Scrolls? Why would the most powerful King of Israel want to hoard the library of a small Jewish/Christian Sec 900 years later?

Besides, a scroll of paper hardly signify that it was from the dead sea scroll. It could be the mines workers' lunch menu of the day?

And since when the mines have burial chambers decorated like a Disco Bar, with lava lamps and blue neon lights. If only they did not forget the Disco ball ...