I’m, of course, liking Sandra's old fogey posts lately as I can so relate. This afternoon, talking with our family therapist, trying to make sense of something that was none of my business anyway as an acquaintance has apparently thrown away his career and crapped up his beautiful family…unless the entire story isn’t true in the first place. Often newspapers sensationalize.

But the older I get, the more I appreciate sensible behavior.

I could go all socially conservative or I could simply say that life is easier if one acts right, thus cutting down greatly on negative consequences.

Simplistic thinking perhaps but if one doesn’t drink alcohol, one will never get a DUI, not shoplifting eliminates that annoyingly free ride in a police car, and if I don’t cuss, my kids can’t pick up that bad habit at home.

I understand that cause and effect thinking doesn’t exactly exist in children minds if they are FAE or FAS. I’m slowly realizing, after raising thirty something children, that the great majority of birth parents represented here in my family had issues with drugs and alcohol, this generation is paying the price and suffering the negative consequences of someone else’s actions.

It’s the little stuff around here such as a son not doing his homework and not comprehending how much a zero will pull down his average. Bewildered and looking at me like I’d taken leave of my senses he asked me tonight, “Well, Mom, how do you expect me to improve?” He only wants to up his average to earn back his computer play time.

At 12, he had no clue that turning in his homework would result in a higher average, one that would be acceptable to me and would allow him the return of his privileges.

We’re back to square one, checking his agenda book and PowerSchool every single day as I gently - no not really - I loudly hollered, “Boy it’s simple! Pay attention to me.” Knowing he pays even less at school, thinking his teachers are nice compared to mom who flips out over poor grades, but still not getting that the power to improve lies within him.

It’s these little things I seem to spend so much time doing; encouraging and cheering them on, atta boy, you can do it until this knowledge grows in their hard heads and in their hearts.

It’s simple and sensible.