Consequences Stink

I finally got some long-awaited photos in my hot little hand and the first thing to do was to head strait for my scanner while simultaniously logging on to our family's self-published Enquirer; The Skillman Scuttlebutt.  My excitement for this newest tale?  A parental promise to keep and a consequence to follow through on.  

You see, around our house blogging is not just a fun pastime,  it's also a strong parental tool to keep the children on the strait and narrow.  If you're a parent, this is a band-wagon you're gonna wanna jump on.  Here are two important instructions should you decide to implement the latest surefire tool in the parental toolbox; The Blog.

First, you must always carry a camera with you.  You never know when your children's misdeeds (or husband's for that matter)  might require photo documentation.  Keep it handy and always loaded with freshly charged batteries as if you have become a prize-winning paparazzo.

Second, the new rule: Time Outs are a thing of the past.  With the advent of the internet, parenting is now all about public humiliation.  Seriously, it works.

This is how it's done:  Any time a member of your family begins to cross that line, you simply:

Give Warning #1: "Would you like me to blog this?" 

Usually this stops them dead in their tracks.  However, on occasion sometimes a child/husband may continue down that slippery slope of sinister misdeed.  At this point you:

Give Warning # 2:  "Seriously, I would be more than happy to get my camera and blog this." 

This tried and true method has kept my little band of imps on the strait and narrow...most of the time.

To my delight, I discovered this newly adopted method was actually working when an infraction occured over the summer.  A certain young man in my household got himself, quite literally, in a mire while on a scout campout. Once my son realized I had heard what he had done, he came up to me and said, "You're gonna blog this aren't you??"

"Absolutely!" I said with a devilish grin.  I was elated that my son, much like pavlov's dog, was being conditioned to response!

It's taken a few months but I've finally got my hands on the photos.  And as a good parent, I always keep my word.  So here are the long awaited photos in all their glory...

Pictured here is Connor and his lifelong friend Severin.  During a campout they decided to cave in to a little peer pressure applied by a few older boys on what I now refer to as "The Potty Plot".  They decided it would be particularly funny to tediously unwind ALL the toilet paper (4 rolls of it) in the ONLY outhouse in the campground and dump it down the hole.  Mind you, this toilet paper was fastened to a bar which prevented the tube from rolling.  It actually had to be unwound a square at a time.  Much to their alarm and horror, when the two scout leaders got wind of their stinky misdeed they marched them back to the outhouse and insisted they find a stick and haul it ALL BACK UP!  Here Severin is stick "fishing" in the loo while Connor is hauling away the catch!  Note the unhappy disposition:

Here's the most incredible scoutmaster ever, Fred Clark, my hero!  Bold and courageous amid the stench, he saw the value of holding these boys accountable.

Once the deed had been undone the group is relieved enough to smile for a photo. Probably because Connor knew, deep down, that it would end up on the blog.

It was the prank that stank!  I'm sure they'll think twice before pulling another one, especially now that I've released their deeds to the internet!

A special thanks to Brett & Fred for teaching the boys a lesson they may never forget!  Consequences stink don't they?