What do I do about those I can't convert?

POSTED BY: micjwelch
UPDATED: Thursday, March 9, 2006 06:10
VIEWED: 7786
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GRIZWALD

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 1:38 PM

Quote:
she just had a baby a month ago

Okay, now I get it. Big problems here.

First of all, you don't say "She just had a baby," you say, "WE just had a baby." Go practice it 5 times in front of the mirror. I don't wanna EVER hear you say it wrong again. Got it?

Next, here's what you do: You say, "Dear wife, you need a break. Let me have little Precious for an hour or two, okay? You go do whatever you want to. Take a bath. Read a book. Take a walk. Stare at the wall. Nap. Whatever. I promise that we will take care of ourselves for two hours, and we will be FINE. C'mon Precious, you and Daddy are going to have some Daddy and Precious Time!" And then, of course, you go start indoctrinating Precious into the wonders of Firefly.

By the way, just in case you weren't aware of this, it is possible to watch television in a standing position. You stand up and rock the baby back and forth and up and down and all around and you can still see Firefly, Precious gets all that stuff imprinted on his/her impressionable wee brain in these formative years, and your wife melts because you are such a great guy.

Oh, and don't ask her to watch with you ever again. Make a big deal about how you and Precious are big fans and that Precious loves to watch with you and is a teensy little Browncoatlet.

Who knows, once the pressure is off and it's not a Wife vs. Firefly thing, maybe she'll join you eventually. I wouldn't count on it. In our house, it was Wife vs. Sailboat, and while I've calmed down, I still think of that stupid sailboat as The Other Woman, and I won't set foot in her for fear she will drown me in a "sailing accident."

EDITED to add: Oops, you don't have the DVDs. You can go get them now. Now that you are a reformed Superdad, you have my permission.

ZISKER

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 1:48 PM

Griz - you owe me a keyboard. I just chortled my milk onto this one. You have officially made my day and it's only nine in the morning. That is the funniest thing I have ever read on this board. Thank you.

Mic - this sounds like sage advice. Run with it.

In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and is widely regarded as a bad move. - Douglas Adams

MICJWELCH

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 1:54 PM

Hey, I was there. SHE had the baby. I saw the whole thing. I had very little to do with that. I can't take credit for it. I didn't even need any pain meds. And now, because of her, we have the cutest little baby in the whole world (just because I'm biased doesn't mean I'm wrong).

The only problem with converting the little munchkin is that she doesn't really like gunfire. But I think she can get used to it. Problem is I have to pry the other two kids away from JoJo's Circus and Thomas the Tank Engine long enough to watch some real tv. :-)

Hey, I did find one solution though. I got up at 6:00 am this morning, and I can do whatever I want. :-) She's kind of a night person. I'm kind of a morning person.

Anyway, thanks guys. I knew somebody might take this question seriously.

"We may experience some slight turbulence, and then... explode."

PSOLARIS

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 1:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by micjwelch:
Hey, I was there. SHE had the baby. I saw the whole thing. I had very little to do with that. I can't take credit for it.

I'm uh, pretty sure you had something to do with it, otherwise how did the baby get there in the first place

So I give you credit for that.

And just because she's the one that was actually, physically in labor, you both still had the child.

Ooops, I'm sorry, Browncoatlet

Psolaris

"Ten percent of nuthin' is...let me do the math here...nuthin' into nuthin'...carry the nuthin'"

JONESTEIN

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 2:00 PM

Some people just can't be converted. My buddy loves the show(I hooked him on the show/movie a couple weeks ago), but he just isn't the fan-activist type. To him, while Firefly is a great TV show, it is still JUST a TV show. So he's another "Beigecoat", like my wife.

And some, like another buddy of mine, just don't get Joss Whedon shows at all. He assumes anything Whedonesque is juvenile...this coming from someone who LOVES reality TV, so he's lacking a bit in the credibility department as far as I'm concerened. Stubborn folk like him can't even be converted to "Coffeestaincoats". Oh well, his loss, really.

It is indeed a fine line we Browncoats walk between enthusiastic fandom and street-corner fanaticism...just gotta keep things in perspective I suppose...

-Jonestein

*************************************
OPERATIVE: ...and I'm unarmed.
MAL: Good.
(BLAM!)

FIGHT TO RE-LIGHT!!
www.browncoatsriseagain.com
www.texasbrowncoats.com
www.fortworthbrowncoats.com

GRIZWALD

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 2:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zisker:
Griz - you owe me a keyboard.

*hands Zisker a few baby wipes to clean up keyboard with*

KAELE

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 2:20 PM

Oh.

My.

God.

Griz.

That was just the funniest thing ever.

Ok, Mic. You've got a gameplan. Run with it. Just like most dad's explain football or baseball to the wee ones, you can explain Firefly. Babies need to be trained to accept noise and just about everyone encourages you to go about your normal day and not sneak around while they're sleeping. My son can sleep through world war III now. My daughter on the other hand... *sigh*

Give the hormonal thing a little time to die down. My last time took an entire year. Especially encourage her to take a nap.

Or even better, hand her the credit card and say, "March 10th, sweetheart, I want to treat you to a day at the spa. You need time to relax. Go get your nails done, your hair done, go out to lunch with your friends. I'll see you at 7:00. I love you."

Then sit down and watch the SciFi marathon with your Browncoatlet.

~Kaele
Who has done more hours watching TV while nursing or doing the 'standing baby bounce' than she can count.

NOSADSEVEN

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 4:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by micjwelch:
I wouldn't say my involvement with Firefly is unhealthy, but she would. I don't even own the series (I know, herecy!). I found a paper model kit of Serenity a while ago. Believe me, I was stoked. But the first thing she said was that it was going to take me away from her. I guess I should mention that she just had a baby a month ago, so she's a little hormonal, but that only accounts for some of it.

See, this is the essense of it. She doesn't seem to have a problem with Firefly per se, she just has fears and (reasonable, logical) concern about your being there for her during a crazy time. What you need to do is make sure that you are there to meet whatever needs she has - not to take the baby from her, so much as to take care of her and her other responsibilities so that she can be with the baby (by keeping the house in order, preparing food, helping with the older kids before she requests it, etc.). If she perceives you as not being there for her enough, she will focus on Firefly as the cause, whether or not it is in reality. The best way to defend against thet is not to defend your affinity for things Firefly, but to address her very natural concerns by demonstrating you are there for her. If you don't tread carefully, Firefly will become a point of contention for any issues you are experiencing, souring it for both of you forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't. We. Just.

SICKDUDE

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 6:12 PM

Everyone's a Browncoat. It's just that somebody else is carring their boxset around for a while.

"It's a cow."

KAELE

Wednesday, March 8, 2006 6:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sickdude:
Everyone's a Browncoat. It's just that somebody else is carring their boxset around for a while.