Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Jory: Oh?
Sam: I see people at work laughing and being close. When I was a cop, it was so-and-so was their work husband or work wife. That’s crap. Emotional infidelity is just as bad, if not worse, than the physical kind, because your heart is already gone.
Jory: And have you ever—
Sam: The person at home should be the one you trust the most, want to talk to the most, want to hug the most, want to go to bed with the most—all of that. That’s how it is for me. If that’s not the case, or if they show you that’s not the case for them, get the hell outta there. You’re worth more.
Jory: I love my husband very much.
Sam: Of course you love me. What the hell does what I just said have to do with you? I’m gonna stop doing these, you get very emotional.
And that’s a wrap, folks. Until next time, remember to kiss your partner and hug your kids and tell your friends they’re amazing.
OCTOBER 2017
Hello again, all, welcome to another installment of He Said, he said. I’m Jory Harcourt, mild-mannered graphic designer by day, parent and husband by night, here to answer questions, have discussions, and maybe even get a fresh perspective on something. So here we go.
DEAR JORY:
How do you keep open lines of communication with your kids? Mine are always so buried in their phones, hanging with friends or talking to them online that I see them at meals and that’s it. Is it the same for you?
Jory: It’s really hard to cut out a piece of their day, but I have a few rules. First, every morning when they wake up, we do ten minutes of some kind of yoga. Just short poses, just to get the blood moving and the mind focused. I mean, I’m not talking about nestling eagle, which is one of my favorites, or Thai goddess, but just movements before they have their tea and then breakfast. It gets them moving, and as they gripe, they talk to me, tell me about their plans for the day, school, friends, and then I get more in the van on the drive to school. After school, if there’s no sports or theatre, when we get home, we all walk the dog together, talk some more, and then they are required by house law to do homework downstairs at the kitchen table and talk to me while I make dinner. If I’m working late, then we all have to Skype if we can, and if not, the second I get home, we talk. I must know what’s going on with them, I never want to be called into the principal’s office or called, heaven forbid, by any law enforcement, and be blindsided by what’s happening.
Sam: Not all parents have the luxury to not work when their kid is home, but days off, nights, or days if you work graveyard, weekends, connecting with your kids is a priority. Once you become a parent, you as a person is over. You’re a parent before anything else.
Jory: Which can play havoc on your love life.
Sam: Why? That’s what quickies are for.
Jory: You’re such a romantic, Sam.
Sam: I know. And I do yoga too.
Jory: Does the mountain pose count?
Sam: It counts!
DEAR JORY:
Where do you intend to send the kids for high school? Still keeping them in private school? Are either of them interested in art or music beyond what is taught at their current school?
Jory: We moved them to a new school over on 111th Street and they both like it better. Kola still plays lacrosse and now soccer, and it has a good theatre department for Hannah. I had to find a school that served both of my kids.
Sam: I like the new school because even though the extracurricular activities are important and they grasp the value of art and sports, they are still invested in having the kids excel academically. It’s important for kids to know that they are expected to perform if they want to do what they want.
Jory: I just want them to be well-rounded people.
Sam: Respectful people.
Jory: Yes, dear.
DEAR JORY:
What would you do if Hannah came home and told you that some boy made inappropriate advances or harassed her?
Jory: My daughter has a blue belt in Tae Kwon Do, so the boy that tries to put his hand on her would be very sorry. That being said…her father is a federal marshal. They might never find the body.
Sam: No. You’re wrong. They would. They would find pieces for days and days. Pieces a person could live without but still be breathing. Losing lots of blood.
Jory: Oh dear God.
Sam: What?
DEAR JORY:
For fun, some rapid-fire questions this installment taken from reader emails:
Q: How many phone chargers does your family go through?
A: The kids and I keep ours, and each have one that we’ve all had for as long as each phone, though Hannah’s is solar powered now because she got it from Aaron Sutter, but that’s a whole other discussion. The Chief Deputy cannot keep a phone charger to save his life. I think he has eight at last count.