Tall Tales

controversial opinion but i think people should start feeling shame again. like, there are some things it’s normal and appropriate to experience embarrassment and discomfort over having participated in

Sure would be a shame if somebody secretly planted fruit trees on public land

We know that developing brains need to bond with parents and need healthy stimulation from both parents. We also know that rote memorization and brute force, one-size-fits-all public school teaching methods are fucking worthless, and were formulated around making docile, broken-willed factory workers.

   This is excellent advice, and carries through into parenting. I always made sure that when my kids were in a destructive mood or wanted to pick at something, they could just- do that. Here’s a clump of mint, you can smush it, chop it up, pull all the leaves off the stem - no problem. Here’s a piece of wood with the bark coming loose, you can pick it that to your heart’s content. I was lucky, I guess, that on a farm there’s always something expendable that can just be ruined for the fun of it. Toddler’s get SO much enjoyment out of deconstructing stuff - and even more if you make a big fuss over how “well” they did it. Look at all the chopped mint! It smells wonderful!

This is in Switzerland. From what I was told it’s a memorial for the Royal Guard. Apparently they had a royal family, and the countrymen said fuck that and came to dethrone them. The royal guard stood fast and were willing to kill all day but the king said “lay down your arms”. So they did. The countrymen killed them and the royal fam, then somewhere down the line someone makes a memorial for the guard….or something like that.