In-Laws, can't live with 'em....

Take a dump in the upper chamber of his toilet blame your kids , this could be a gold mine of fun .

Karl La Follette wrote: Take a dump in the upper chamber of his toilet blame your kids , this could be a gold mine of fun .

Ahh, the old upper decker.

roll of lifesavers in the shower head...

the ol' sticky shower.

yeah most of those kind of guys can dish it out just fine, but can't take it. Fight fire with fire, that or lighten up. Payback could be extra sweet.

At the next meal, have a bowl of eggs sitting right next to you. You can even claim they are hard-boiled, but they aren't. When Gramps starts his E36 M3, throw an egg at his face. Then, calmly say, "You have egg on your face."

foxtrapper wrote: Where is your wife on this?

She's with me on this. She agrees that it's disrespectful of anyone to go to someone's house and, not only ignore the rules of the house, but to get the kids to do the same.
And that's the point of all this, I don't know if I made it clear. While I don't want you throwing food at my house, it's the luring of the kids into this sort of behavior that's that irks me.

And for those that seem to think this sort of thing is fine; really? IF you normally would not allow your kids to throw food around the house (remember, this isn't relegated to the dining room table, it's anywhere in the house, carpet, curtains, bedrooms) would you actually allow someone else to come and do that in your house?

All that being said, he apologized (sort of) to my wife and said he'll NEVER do anything like that again. It appears this wasn't the first time this exact thing has happened. He was scolded for throwing food at someone else's house as well.

tiger balm in his underwear

DrBoost wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: Where is your wife on this?

And for those that seem to think this sort of thing is fine; really? IF you normally would not allow your kids to throw food around the house (remember, this isn't relegated to the dining room table, it's anywhere in the house, carpet, curtains, bedrooms) would you actually allow someone else to come and do that in your house?

Most people, no, it is not allowed. Grandparents/Parents/Uncles get a pass, along with an eyeroll and muttering under the breath.

Karl La Follette wrote: tiger balm in his underwear

I did icy-hot to my brother once.

It was amusing to watch his face change with the sensations. He didnt really notice till he was out front of the house and watching his eyes water as he ran inside tearing his pants off the priceless!

DrBoost wrote: She's with me on this. She agrees that it's disrespectful of anyone to go to someone's house and, not only ignore the rules of the house, but to get the kids to do the same.

There you go.

I can not EVER imagine a time it would be acceptable to throw food in a house, no questions asked, and I'm a messy 24yo dude. would FREAK on the culprit and probably escort said person forcefully out of my house. I think grapes would be the exception, if it was say me and a chick doing stuff with them ;)

Put ruffies in his drink, when he passes out, throw him on a freighter headed south. Pin a note to his chest that says "Please stop throwing food in my house or next time it will be cold when you wake up".

Too harsh? Motherberkeleyer was throwing cucumbers. Can't have that.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Too harsh? Motherberkeleyer was throwing cucumbers. Can't have that.

I didn't get anything for Christmas, can I see this in Say What? instead?

Datsun1500 wrote: Am I the only one that thinks when these kids get older and GrandPa is gone they will look back on the food throwing fondly? It will be what they remember about him, how he used to come over and throw food and get Daddy angry.

^Yep.^

DrBoost wrote: And for those that seem to think this sort of thing is fine; really? IF you normally would not allow your kids to throw food around the house (remember, this isn't relegated to the dining room table, it's anywhere in the house, carpet, curtains, bedrooms) would you actually allow someone else to come and do that in your house?

I didn't say it was fine. I said you need to lighten up.

And yes, really. Really. I REALLY would give an eccentric Grandpa the right to be a little eccentric. A little. I understand it is pissing you off. You are really missing an opportunity.

Want to leave an indelible memory of pure joy in your kid's minds and hearts forever? Next time Gramps throws a cucumber, quit your griping and bad attitude, quietly pick up a serving spoon of mashed potatoes, and fling them back at him. It will likely lead to chaos, and very possibly an all-out food fight. I swear it will be one of the best nights of your kid's lives.

It won't ruin the rules of discipline and proper conduct for them. It won't make them think the rules are OK to be broken. It won't break their character, or make you a failure as a parent.

It will make them realized that Dad is fun, that he has finally broken out of his legalistic narrow mindedness, and that he loves them enough to prove it by being willing to break out of the mold every once in a while. It will make you human to them.

They will remember it forever, and be telling their grandchildren about it.

Plus, you will earn Grandpa's respect in a way that can't be duplicated. Sounds weird, but it is true.

THEN you help clean up.

Your kids will not loose respect for you. They will no longer view you as "better than them" or "superior" because you never are inclined to break the rules, but rather view you as a someone, like them, who is living life the best he can, knows the rules, breaks them every once in a while (because sometimes it is the best way to get a message across), and then seeks forgiveness.

I think my payback would be a Super Soaker taped to the underside of the table the next time he came over. I'd give the kids some disposable water guns, tape them under the table, and then let them have at grandpa after you emptied your tank. I might even go so far as to give grandpa an empty or one rigged to fire backwards.

No, I'm of no help here. If we ever have kids, I'll probably be the annoying grandpa.

For me-it depends: If Grandpa can't get through a meal without covering the house in food he wouldn't be invited to anything but dry food picnics in empty fields. If he only occasionally does something outlandish during his visit I would put up with it and maybe join in.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Put ruffies in his drink, when he passes out, throw him on a freighter headed south. Pin a note to his chest that says "Please stop throwing food in my house or next time it will be cold when you wake up". Too harsh? Motherberkeleyer was throwing cucumbers. Can't have that.

Note to self:

Do not piss off G.P.S.

SXRex, you don't know me. My kids know me as "the goof-ball". That's how they introduce me to new friends. We have a ball. I'm not opposed to having fun with my kids, and the last way my kids would ever describe me as "legalistic narrow minded" or view you as "better than them" or "superior" to them.
You say I'll gain g-pa's respect? That's the issue, he has non for my and my household. Why else would he come over to my house and knowingly break rules that he knows are rules? In fact, the very same thing he's "gotten in trouble with" with his own son and his family? He does things just to get a rise out of people because he finds it entertaining. I let most of that go, but, again, when you are getting my kids to break rules, that's no longer respectful.

In reply to DrBoost:

What I know about you is what you have presented here.

It was not intended as an insult. It was a recognition that we all get that way sometimes when we are too close to a situation.

I am sorry I offended you.

It was also not a commentary on you. It was a recognition of how kids think.

Again, you have over reacted. Why are you so consumed with somebody respecting you?

I stand by my observation. For the sake of your relationship with your kids, lighten up.

My comments or gramps' actions don't matter at all. Neither does your respect. Your RELATIONSHIP matters, and I'm really concerned that you will one day find your kids have really fond memories of that quirky eccentric grandpa of theirs and how easy it always was for him to piss off Dad. Don't let your pride ruin something important.

Take it from someone who knows first hand.