Run! Run away! Run fast!

Some of the Greats

Different music artists in my formative years float about in my memory, as I wrote in one recent post. But these songs are in the teenage zone, and my recollection of the lyrics is pretty much lame.

Anyway,

Bobby Vee... I always loved Go Away Little Girl. My brother bought a radio, and we listened to that song over and over. Sigh.  Bobby Vee made many teenage girls sigh, myself included.

 Bobby Vee died in 2017 at age 73 years, from Alzheimer's.

The Beatles had their own song, Run for Your Life, Little Girl. I never listened to the lyrics until recently.  Creepy. Seriously, this is stalker level. I'd be scared for my life if I was this girl. Here is just one bit. The others threaten to take her head, watch her back.

"Let this be a sermon

I mean everything I've said

Baby, I'm determined

And I'd rather see you dead"

Run fast, Little Girl.

Del Shannon was famous with My Little Runaway. The organ riff was famous at the time. He seemed confused, but then again, aren't all men? My brother and I listened to this song many times over.

Where did this Runaway Girl go?  Why?

So, there you have it: 

Bobby Vee wanted a girl to go away before he begged her to stay. 

Beatles were stalkers, promised to behead the girl if she left. 

Del Shannon wondered why his girl ran away. 

These narcissistic men viewed these girls as objects, didn't they understand that? 

Obviously, all females need to watch themselves and ask serious questions about any guy who is controlling and possessive. 

Perhaps they should consider cross-country training.

....I got the music in me

....I got the music in me

repeat, repeat, repeat.....

Who Blinks First...

He who blinks first, loses.

This is what I learned as a child when facing down a brother or another aggressive boy on the playground. Hold your ground. Invade personal space. Close in for the kill. AND never blink first. 

This is important:  He who blinks first, loses.

courtesy of Bing.com

The skills honed in the fires of sibling conflict and playground battles have carried me through many rough situations. Okay—not necessarily rough, but definitely confrontational. 

As a young mother, I learned the importance of holding my position on naps (everyone takes one in the afternoon, including me) until my oldest child was almost 9 years old.  Having three stair-step children, I bent over and drew my eyes level with theirs.

 “You will take a nap today. A good long nap.” They blinked. I didn’t. The nap wars fought and won, because I didn’t blink first.

When teaching, the teacher must hold the line on so many discipline issues:  raising the hands to speak, asking permission, respecting another student’s right to exist, etc. Staring down thirty + children requires practice and experience. It must be done with firmness and, most of all, with kindness.

Do you understand???

There was always one student who challenged the blink contest “You will not steal anyone's pencils. Do you understand, mister?”  Blink, blink, “Yes’m.”

That was when all the skills in the first paragraph had to go into the game. The teacher has to win this—the rest of the class has to know that the standards of behavior are listed on the wall for a reason.

Yes'm.

When not playing poker for big bucks, or trying to convince a three-year old that he will stay out of the flour canister, blinking is fine. Blink away to your heart’s content. 

In your face.

But, when one absolutely must win a situation, keep those eyes open, piercing into the other eyes with deadly aim, and impose your will.  Good luck, soldier.