As a family, we hold hands, but we lead each other down some
dark paths. Most of the time it’s fun or at least innocuous but sometimes. . . I
really wonder if I’ve made a huge mistake in making death and dismemberment the
default for repartee. Most people don’t get the warmth that a well-timed threat
to be murdered in your sleep can bring. I’m constantly in fear that the girls
will alienate themselves from people because they think, “Oh my god, I will cut
you!” is the proper response to a crappy knock-knock joke.
Case in point: we’re traveling to South Dakota and for conversation’s sake I was thinking of emergency scenarios that could pop up when we were all very far from home. I asked the girls what they’d do if I had a heart-attack out in the middle of nowhere. Without missing a beat Julia says, “I would end your suffering with a knife.” The timing was perfect and it was hilarious but even by our standards that was pretty dark.
Case in point: we’re traveling to South Dakota and for conversation’s sake I was thinking of emergency scenarios that could pop up when we were all very far from home. I asked the girls what they’d do if I had a heart-attack out in the middle of nowhere. Without missing a beat Julia says, “I would end your suffering with a knife.” The timing was perfect and it was hilarious but even by our standards that was pretty dark.
Right now I’m not sure if I’m more concerned by the precedent I’ve set for dark humor or the idea of Julia “ending my suffering”.
