John Working for My Dad Instead of Me....

I have always loved my children, John and Melissa, more than life itself. I always bought them anything they wanted. One time Melissa and I were arguing; and I asked her if at anytime during her life when she wanted something if I got it for her. She thought for a moment and said, "Well, one time I wanted a 10-speed bike; and you didn't get it for me". That was because she had a regular one; and I did not feel that she needed a 10-speed one. As much as I spoiled them, I was just as strict.

One of the strict ways I had with them was to teach them to work. I tried to instill in them a little bit of the attitude toward work the way my old boss, Barney Eagon, had for me. From doing this, they both know how to work.

John and Melissa were teenagers when I started a second-hand business in Lamar. I told my kids, "I want to make it so hard on you with working that when you work for a mean boss, you will think it is easy compared to the work I made you do".

They had to clean the merchandise. There were certain things they had to get done before I got back from the auctions where I bought most of the merchandise. Sometimes it would be two or three o'clock in the morning when I got home. Sometimes they had to go to school the next day. But if they had not done the job they were supposed to do or just did it half-way, I would make them get out of bed and do it right.

John got fed up and decided he wanted to go live with Grandad, my dad, for the summer. Daddy said, "Send him to me, I'll make him work". I saw John a couple of weeks later. I said, "Well, John, how do you like working in the hot hayfield?" He replied, "Well, Mother, it's hard; but it's not as hard as working for you!"


THE X-RATED GRANDMA Talking about Shit

"She's the Pretty One"

At John's military school, they would have an award's day at the end of the school year. After all the programs and award ceremonies, the boys would leave for the summer with their parents.

Colonel Jones told me that John was looking all around for me. He said he asked John what I looked like. John replied, "Oh! She's the pretty one!"

"She's the Pretty One"

At John's military school, they would have an award's day at the end of the school year. After all the programs and award ceremonies, the boys would leave for the summer with their parents.

Colonel Jones told me that John was looking all around for me. He said he asked John what I looked like. John replied, "Oh! She's the pretty one!"

John's Declamation

While raising my children, I always put their needs and desires above everything and everybody. My mother always taught me what whe learned from her mother - "Other things will come and go; but your kids will always be there. You are not worth what you are made of if you do not take care of your kids." This has been a valuable lesson she taught me; and I carried it through all the difficult but happy times while raising my kids. I placed their desires above everything, even money, which I needed desperately because I was the only source of revenue for all of us.

It was nearing time for me to go to pick up my kids from their boarding schools. John's military school was going to have a little program. He was going to receite a little poem which he called, "my declamation." It was a contest. Whoever recited the best would win a medal. He had talked to me on the phone about it several times. He was so excited. He was really looking forward to my seeing him stand up in front of everyone and recite it; so was I.

A few days before his program, I got a call from my agent telling me that he had a booking for me for $600.00 for one week. I had not started making this much money and was estactic about it because this was the financial goal I had been trying to attain for a long time. There was only one problem. If I worked the week he wanted to book me, then I would miss John's declamation.

We needed the money. I called John and told him I was going to pick him up late because I had to work. He started crying, "You're gonna miss my declamation?!" That changed everything. I told him I would be there. He was happy and so was I. I needed this little six year old boy to remind me what was more important. And by the way, he won.