Why do holidays always seem to be the catalyst for bad behavior? The last blow up with the two oldest boys happened on Memorial Day. Today it's them being outwardly hostile, without actually saying anything to me. And putting on their happy faces (as much as these two miserable shits can) when their dad is looking their way. SO said he thinks the sneering and the dirty looks is just their normal faces. How horrible for them, to have all of their inner ugliness seeping through to their outside.

I seriously can't stand their faces.

In other news, the oldest sociopath (20) has told SO that if he doesn't find a job soon (hah! Like he's actually looking...), he's going to enlist in the military. SO is firmly against this, having enlisted himself at age 18 and having spent 18 or so years in the reserves. He knows what it's like and he thinks that the oldest boy won't make it. And SO is trying to save his son from failure.

Now, I'm old school, I guess. But I was raised to accept failure as a part of life. My mother was not there to cushion every fall, or to stop me from making mistakes. She let me make them and learn from them on my own. And I am a much better person for that. SO refuses to let them fall on their faces. He tries to save them from everything, and I firmly believe that this is why they are such entitled assholes. Because they don't understand that every action has a consequence, whether positive or negative.

I say let him enlist. I actually think it would be good for him, though just by saying that he wouldn't do it, so I'll keep it to myself. And if he fails spectacularly, let him FAIL. At least he will do it on his own. SO has been trying to talk him out of it, and the oldest keeps telling him that it's not a done deal and his dad needs to relax. I agree. This isn't the first time SO's son has mentioned enlisting. SO has told him his point of view, and has told him the pros and cons of his experience. What more can he do? SO was not a happy camper last night when I told him that, at some point, he's going to have to just step back and let his 20-year-old son make his own decision and deal with the repercussions.