The Art of War

So today was my first day alone with Mr. Personality, and I can honestly say it was not one of my more stellar days of motherhood. I am still sicker than I would like, and my fuse is much shorter than it should be. I wasn't much fun, and I'm sure it was a bit of a shock for him to have the reality of Mom after the, shall we say, easing of the rules under Grandma.

As I was pleading with him to please listen to me, for the sake of my sanity, I began to notice all the different tactics he uses in order to delay my request. For some odd reason, I flashed back to "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. It is a revered, 6th Century BC text of battle strategies. Hubba-hubba owns it, and I have glanced at it a few times.

I did a search for some quotes from the text, and I was flabbergasted to find this one:

If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

I am sure that dear old Sun would be horrified, or perhaps rather pleased, to know how well my 3 year old adheres to his advice.

Comments

Anonymous said…
jesus woman I hope you feel better soon! Nobody deserves to be sick for that long!
Thanks for stopping by and the kind words!
9:51 PM
gina said…
Is there anything in there about being a little smartass pissant? I got a couple of those.
11:28 AM
chichimama said…
I swear the art of war is required reading at playgroup...hope tomorrow you are feeling better!
5:44 PM
Dani said…
Wow...I love it. In response, I feel the need to quote from another revered figure, Homer Simpson, who stated, "It's funny 'cuz it's true."
8:49 PM
Suzanne said…
Make Sun Tzu proud and use some of those strategies yourself.

Suzanne
5:02 AM
Julie said…
Hi, Gina. I came here via Mimilou. Your question to her about the rise of the military-industrial complex blah blah blah made me laugh SO hard! Oh, that was great!
7:04 PM
Gina said…
Hi Julie, thanks for stopping by and commenting! I get a pathetic thrill out of comments on my blog, so you made my day!

I love Suzanne, and while I really would love to know her thoughts on that topic, I figured I'd give her an "out," ya know?
6:54 PM
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