Lee tools and kids .

[RBHarter]

Take note written elsewhere but oh so true everywhere.


Tis the season........
Having managed to raise my own kids and not completely ruin several step kids and working on a pair of grand kids ,I've discovered a few things .
Kids are like Lee tools . Some of them are great right out of the box . Some of them need a little fidgeting to get them going . Some will need extra attention all along the way . A few will get ruined by the owner/operator . A few will get ruined by a friend . Last but not least until they stand on their own and are looked at as the 1 of a kind that they really are you really don't know if you got a good or a bad one . Sometimes it takes a while to see if the tuning/teaching worked . Sometimes despite your best efforts to do everything exactly right it doesn't work out . More often than not you end up with a better tool/kid than you expected to get .

Points to remember there will be days when you really need the tools to work right and you'll be at the edge of throwing them across the room and/or strangling the little darlings. There will be days that you are so far past caring and your only at the bench so you're not in a bar and they will work perfectly and somehow pick you up out of some pit of gloom reminding you of how great they really are . The most important thing to remember is that you can only lap and polish as much as you can then it's all on them .

It takes 20 yr to know if you did a good job with the kids .
This time of the year is quite stressful and kids feed on it an reflect it . They know when the money is tight . They know when you're ready to throw them across the room , but won't . Little kids will be more honest , sometimes to brutal extremes , older kids will shine you on and buy you another horrible tie you wouldn't be caught dead in .

So cut them a little slack , don't bury the stress and let it pile up they will reflect that and be horrible .

Enjoy the season and
Be thankful for every day

[Ranch Dog]

Profound wisdom passed along RB, thanks!

[akuser47]

Very well put.

[GasGuzzler]

Thank you.

[Old Scribe]

Thanks for the post RB. I might add the same holds true for canines, at least the ones I have.

[daboone]

I wish I figured that out before I raised 5 of my own and 4 foster kids. Now that I'm a grumpa I realize it is never to late the begin your second childhood. My grandkids are my examples for getting even with my kids. :twisted:

[oscarflytyer]

oh so true! 5 boys. 2 DILs (that is interesting!) and #5 (18) just joined the Army. You are spot on that it takes about 20 years to really know how good they are!

[horseman]

Did not see this until today. Nicely done RB. Have two, one each, both in their 40's now. Three grandchildren, oldest is 22, youngest is 12. All from my daughter. I rarely get to see them (they live in Florida) and in today's forms of communication (texting and such) don't often even talk to them. They never seem to answer their phones but will answer a text in 3 minutes, ain't the same. They don't seem to understand I would like to hear their voices. Enough grumbling, happy for you all that have them all close by. You're some lucky guys.

[larryw]

I know what you mean Hugh...

[daboone]

Not to go off topic but Larry how's Lisa doing? We missed you shooting yesterday.