The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Globe Life

Related Photos

Discussion

November 6, 2009

Mike Pound: Shopping can turn that frown upside down

Our 11-year-old daughter Emma was in a dark mood Thursday morning, and there was nothing I could do to change that fact.

I used to be good at changing Emma’s moods. I used to be good at making her laugh when she really didn’t want to laugh. But lately I’ve sort of hit a mood-changing slump. But because I’m a moron, I keep flailing away. Even though, by now, I have learned when Emma is in a changeable mood and when she’s not.

When Emma came down into the kitchen Thursday, it was pretty obvious she wasn’t happy about something.

“Boy, I’m really not happy about something,” is what Emma said.

Ha. I joke. As most veteran parents know, 11-year-old girls do not come right out and say they are unhappy about something. What they do is frown. They sigh. The stomp. They act irritated. You know, pretty much the way their moms did on their wedding day. Ha.

Thursday morning, a frowning Emma stomped into our kitchen carrying her backpack, her flute and her lunchbox. She set her backpack, lunchbox and flute on the counter and let out a loud sigh. Then she looked at the cat sitting in a chair that Emma wanted to sit in and said, in an irritated tone, “Move, Peanut Butter!” (Peanut Butter is the name of the cat in the chair. Emma was not ordering a jar of peanut butter to move.)

Being a sharp and intuitive parent, I sensed something was wrong and I did what I have recently learned to do: I did nothing.

But after a few minutes I started to feel bad for Emma. After a few minutes I started to think that life is too short for an 11-year-old girl to be in a bad mood. After a few minutes I started to think that years from now Emma would regret wasting precious 11-year-old kid time on a bad mood. So I decided to see what I could do to help change her mood.

“What’s the matter?” I asked Emma.

“I look horrible and none of my outfits are cute,” is what Emma said.

“Whoops, look at the time. We better get going,” is what I said.

Look, I may not be the sharpest dad on the block, but even a dad as clueless as I am knows when to stay and fight and when to run away.

You wouldn’t try to pet a snarling pit bull, would you?

But still, I was conflicted. I don’t like it when Emma is in a bad mood. So against my better judgment I decided to say something to Emma.

“I think you look great,” is what I said.

I knew before the words left my mouth that I had made a mistake. In fact, I tried desperately to reach out and grab the words and stuff them back in my mouth. It didn’t work.

Emma got a look on her face that said “Oh no, that’s just what I need. My dad, who is currently wearing ripped bluejeans and a T-shirt with the year 1998 on it and has hair that looks like a diseased wolverine slept in it thinks I look great. My life is over. I can never be seen in public again.”

It was, I thought, a heck of a look.

Sensing I made a mistake, I tried to think of what I could say to change Emma’s mood. This is what I came up with.

“This weekend your mom will take you shopping,” I said.

Oh, don’t judge me. You would have done the same thing.

Address correspondence to Mike Pound, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802, or via e-mail at mpound@joplinglobe.com.



Text Only
Globe Life
  • 020212-LIFE-horses3.jpg Students add vision to collaborative exhibit

    In a “secret room” upstairs at Spiva Center for the Arts, an art project began last week that won’t be finished for 18 more days. That’s because it is being created by more than 1,100 artists.

    February 6, 2012 1 Photo

  • Cari Rerat: Pair of graphic novels tell tales of heroism

    Witty banter, blood-soaked violence, and old-school sound effects make this one of the most fun graphic novels I’ve read in a long time.

    February 6, 2012

  • Frankie Meyer: Celebrity genealogy hunt makes return to TV

    At last, my favorite series is returning for its third season. “Who Do You Think You Are?” is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Fridays.

    February 6, 2012

  • Frankie Meyer: Church minutes can provide details about ancestors

    As you compile your family history, you will often learn the name of the church that an ancestor attended. Novice researchers sometimes ignore that type of detail, not realizing that church records can provide details that blast through the brick walls of research.

    January 31, 2012

  • Phyllis Seesengood: Prequel takes Jack Reacher book series back in time

    “The Affair,” by Lee Child, is the 16th book in the series of Jack Reacher thrillers and is a prequel to the other books. It takes us back in time to March 1997, where we learn valuable information about Reacher’s background and his reasons for leaving the military. 

    January 31, 2012

  • Life_Watson poster 2.jpg B-easy does it

    Chris Watson, a Pittsburg State University graduate and Kansas native, was visiting a local video store when he stumbled across three horror movies he’d either produced, directed, directly written or co-written over the last eight years.

    January 31, 2012 3 Photos

  • Book highlights opposites in animal kingdom

    Even in science opposite attract. It’s the opposite ends of a magnet that attract. Don’t try to connect the south poles on two magnets, because it’s not going to work. Opposites attract.

    January 23, 2012

  • Cemetery research can yield details about family

    Through cemetery research, family history researchers can learn details such as names of spouses and children, military service, hobbies and religious preference, as well as the date and location of birth, marriages and death.

    January 23, 2012

  • 011912ArtFeeds1CMYK.jpg Art class helps kids deal with feelings from tornado

    And while this innovative program received national attention -- thanks to the Joplin-based episode of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” on Jan. 13 -- Bourne’s mobile arts center, dedicated to the growth and healing of children through art, had been up and running long before the EF-5 tornado suddenly spiraled out of the clouds.

    January 23, 2012 1 Photo

  • Danya Walker: Non-fiction work examines history’s infamous mistresses

    Many times, the cover and title of a book promises a much more risque read than is actually delivered. “Mistresses: A History of the Other Woman” by Elizabeth Abbott is one such book.

    January 16, 2012