Awkward

by Marinka on August 5, 2011

Young Ladrinka (10) would like you to know that he is very unhappy because he only has one Nerf gun and it’s impossible to have a Nerf gun war with one gun because “what am I supposed to say? I just shot you, do you want to borrow my gun to shoot me now?

So he’s been thinking of ways to raise some cash.

He asked me what he could do around the house for money.

And I suggested helping me with the laundry.

This wasn’t happy news for him, as I’m guessing he’d have preferred the “oh, just sit there looking adorable and I’ll drop money at your feet” response.

“Laundry?” he said. “Pfft, what are you gonna pay me, like $10?” (Note: He didn’t really say pfft, but I couldn’t figure out how to express disdain.)

Which was awkward because I was actually thinking $5.

He turned down the laundry employment opportunity.

I’m guessing he’s holding out for one of those arms for hostages deals that were all the rage in the 1980s.

One year ago ...

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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Kati
Twitter:
August 5, 2011 at 9:00 am

I suppose the idea of him playing with another kid who already owns a Nerf gun is out of the question? Bring him here, both my boys have several 🙂

My boys have a daily chore chart. There’s a small monetary value assigned to each chore, and every two weeks they get paid the allowance they have earned. Now, if I have to nag at them repeatedly to do their chore or if they do it wrong intentionally or have an attitude, then they have to do it without getting paid for it.
That “allowance” is theirs to do what they want. The only thing I make them do with it is pay their Scout dues and tithes. Anything else they want (toys, games), they earn/save for. I’m already noticing that the BeyBlades THEY paid for with their own money have FAR more value to them than the ones that were bought for them.

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highlyirritable
Twitter:
August 5, 2011 at 10:04 am

Because of his placement in the cousin birth order, my DS has 11 Nerf guns and over 300 of the deadliest sponge bullets.

I would pay YOU to take them away. Except I live in Canada, and I think arms shipment is still illegal.

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the mama bird diaries
Twitter:
August 5, 2011 at 10:23 am

He should buy a second hand nerf gun.

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Kati
Twitter:
August 5, 2011 at 8:16 pm

I hear if you get them from certain dealers, they have no serial numbers, have never been registered, and the darts are untraceable!

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GrandeMocha
Twitter:
August 6, 2011 at 4:41 pm

LOL!

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Megan August 5, 2011 at 10:25 am

So he apparently prefers to play with a single gun rather than make an effort to get another one. Of course all the complaining does take effort and it will probably work eventually, so? Brilliant.

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joeinvegas August 5, 2011 at 12:31 pm

He could follow the congressional lead and take something hostage, say maybe the refrigerator?

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Elisa
Twitter:
August 5, 2011 at 2:09 pm

i think he should go entrepreneurial, say sell snacks to his friends at the park. Which means he will empty out your fridge and probably sell $100 worth of food for… whatever the other gun costs.

How about he just convinces his friends to get *their* parents to buy them guns instead?

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Kara August 5, 2011 at 5:01 pm

Send him my way – I’ll pay him the $10 for doing my laundry. I hate doing laundry – not the washing and the drying because, well, the machines do it for me – but sorting it, folding it and and then putting it all away because it all just gets pulled back out of the drawers and closets and gets worn and soiled and wrinkled all over again so really, it just NEVER ends and I will be doing the same laundry for ever and ever and ever! – So, yeah…send him my way. I think my sanity is worth the $10.

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Peajaye
Twitter:
August 5, 2011 at 6:20 pm

Another unemployed American who can’t find work! Call Fox News!

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deborah l quinn
Twitter:
August 6, 2011 at 3:10 am

Funny how desire dwindles in the face of labor. Sort of like…marriage. And motherhood. Who empties the kitty litter box? Laundry might look way more attractive when compared to scooping cat shit out of a box. Or, say, cleaning the (human) toilets.

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Stasha
Twitter:
August 8, 2011 at 12:09 am

Amen! I like how you always put things in perspective.

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b a seagull
Twitter:
August 6, 2011 at 3:07 pm

hide nicki.

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b a seagull
Twitter:
August 6, 2011 at 3:21 pm

megan, elisa & peajaye – i love the icons that pop up when you comment! how did you get that? do you need your own blog? if so, i will need interesting stories to pretend are my own (joking.)

thanks!

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Lady Jennie August 7, 2011 at 4:10 pm

giggle. Seems he inherited your humor but has to grow into your negotiating skills.

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sparkling74 August 7, 2011 at 9:04 pm

I just shot you, do you want to borrow my gun to shoot me now?” I love it!! That’s like a story our parents would tell : in my day, we were so poor, we only had one nerf gun so if you wanted to play fight, you had to share it!!

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Casey August 7, 2011 at 11:14 pm

Poor kid. Please take note of my sarcasm. He would be thrilled to know if he got a job at a certain company that rhymes with Shmoogle they have battery packed nerf guns that shoot the little suction cupped bullets like they’re in a fire fight for their very lives. *My husband works for said company and appears to be just a giant child in adult clothing. His options at this point seem to be, help you with laundry….or do really well in school and eventually hope to get a job with Shmoogle. Good luck kid. Hope it works out for ya.

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I'm So Fancy August 8, 2011 at 3:37 am

um, he could come to my house. I’d pay 15 if he does a better job than Nanny #2.

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MYSUESTORIES August 13, 2011 at 8:48 pm

Issue #1—I will do your laundry for $7.50 ( hey, times are tough)
Issue #2 – I have a 14 yr old who insist on buying third world country take over equipment from an air soft company… and yet? He has no friends that possess similar or equal weapons…. I say we turn young ladrinka on him with HIS version of modern weaponry and let the games begin……Hey, at least one of us should get our moneys worth, no?

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