Walk the Line

I think lines were only put on this Earth for kids to walk on them. I don't know what it is about a kid walking on a line that just seems so innocent. Arms stretched out as if falling off will lead them to instantly be swallowed by whatever monster lurks below. I catch my kids doing it all the time, and I don't know at what point it goes from being cute and innocent to just plain weird.

There are lines everywhere; the mall, parking lots, baseball fields, coloring books, kids are exposed to them everywhere they go.  You never see a kid purposely NOT  walking on lines, they always DO.  There is also something to be said about a checkerboard like floor too, how many kids only walk on one color?  I know mine do.  Why is that?  Is the world going to be thrown in to complete disarray if more than one color is walked on.

Maybe it has to do with that fact that as kids so much of their lives revolve around lines.  Think about it, in coloring we always tell them to stay in the lines.  In school you are always asked to stand in a straight line whenever you go anywhere.  In tic-tac-toe the winner gets three in a straight line.  As an adult we HATE lines and would do anything to avoid them.  The DMV, the grocery store, toll booths, you name it we always look for the shortest line and do whatever in takes to not have to deal them.  Once you get responsibilities of your own lines can be quite a burden.  They are everywhere and choosing the right one can be a problem.

Kids don't have many responsibilities and choices to make, so lines are just something you walk on.  There may not be monsters looking to eat them on either side of the line, but there can be some pretty bad influences out there.  I guess it's my job as a dad to make sure that they choose the right lines and stay on them, and to be there if they do fall off.

John Willey - Daddy's in Charge?

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