Day #3 of ‘Back to School’ week at The Napkin Dad Daily
I saw a story in the news yesterday about a single father of two young girls who was being tried on bank robbery charges. He now is serving a life sentence. His reason for robbing banks? To ‘feed’ his daughters. By ‘feed’ he meant keep them in the lifestyle to which they had grown accustom. An upper middle class lifestyle. He was a stock day trader and he made a lot of money. When the stock market and economy tanked he lost it all. He started robbing banks and did so for a year before getting caught.
When the daughters were interviewed after his arrest they called him a Robin Hood. Now, years later, after the sentencing, they were being interviewed again. The interviewer asked if they had a different take on it now that they were older. One of the daughters said yes, but added this: ‘But really, what did you expect him to do, take his upper middle class family to a homeless shelter?’.
My answer is YES, that is EXACTLY what he was suppose to do. That or move in with a brother or cousin or parent or live in a truck. He was not suppose to rob banks. He failed in the one thing he was there to do, and that wasn’t to give his daughters an upper middle class life. It was to teach his daughters how to be good and honorable humans in the world. How to pass life, not flunk it.
So, not only did he fail his own life but now he gets to watch his daughters saying to the world that he was right to rob banks so they wouldn’t have to go without stone washed jeans and a private school.
Of course they rationalize this attitude by saying it is their father really caring about them and being completely dedicated to them. But it’s not. It’s their father being a selfish, scared and shallow jerk with no moral compass.
Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Walker Percy, 1916-1990, American author.
>Couldn't agree more. I think the way you live your life is the unspoken example that lasts longer with your children than any of the "Good talk, Russ," kind of moments.
>Well said (and love the napkin drawing)!
Gotta learn to live within your means – whatever they may be – and adjust when things change.
>True that! I don't even wanna know how he got away with robbing banks for a year before getting caught…