“What do you do outside of work to relax?”

“I enjoy reading, working out, and playing with my dog.”

False! You don’t read. You stopped working out on January 8th. You yell at the dog for taking too long to poop.

What to Ask to Avoid This Terrible Interview Response

Bread is the staple food for all humanity (just go with me).

There’s one bread chain, “Yeast of All” (nailed it), that provides all the bread.

There are two rival bread camps; Banana and Pumpkin (the only two breads served).

Banana claims that in Loaf City, Yeast of All is stocking considerably more Pumpkin bread than Banana bread.

Banana sends in the Flour Power Task Force to ensure bread equity.

Videos are posted of Flour Power storming into different Yeast of Alls, throwing, burning, and tearing up Pumpkin bread.

Tension grows across the land as Banana and Pumpkin feud.

Facts

I don’t watch the news because it is too negative. Dozens of words, phrases, and people are muted/blocked on my X feed, because their purpose is to anger, outrage, or disgust.

With all my safeguards, I can’t escape stumbling on a “Karen” video (a woman, often white and middle-aged, behaving in an entitled or confrontational manner). It was funny the first time, now it’s depressing.

The problem is that Karen videos are far more prevalent than positive news, even when you try to engineer your social media to skew towards the optimistic. Part of the problem is the catchiness, trendiness, and ubiquitousness of the word Karen in the modern vernacular (a sentence riddled with SAT words that reads like it was generated with a thesaurus in hand…sorry Ms. Albright [11th grade English teacher]). What if there was an alternative?

I am introducing Stewarts & Roses, the anti-Karens. Why two? I think it is important to have positive representation for men and women.

Disclaimer – This post is nuanced.  Read carefully as it may appear to contradict Asking and Answering Questions.

I welcome feedback, questions, criticisms (scoff, [I actually say scoff instead of making a scoff-like sound] like there’s anything to criticize), and suggestions.  However, there are situations where I do not gather commentary from staff.

How is the book?
I connected with the protagonist
How is the show?
Every character is likable
How is the movie?
I want them to end up together

How is the job?

Family life is busy – Cooking, cleaning, school, extracurricular activities, pet care, etc. With two working parents, it’s impossible to do all the things all the time. A support network of family and friends is paramount. Support systems can provide childcare, pet sitting, chauffeuring, help with emergencies, and other familial needs. Healthy networks are symbiotic. However, if a network participant is parasitic, they disrupt the entire ecosystem.

Why do some people take advantage of their supports? I don’t know the answer as I’m not a parasite (at least I hope not), but I have thoughts.

Parasitic Categories

1. Naive
   • Failing to recognize that they are constantly putting people out.
   • It’s only small favors.
   • The person providing the help enjoys it.
2. Jerk
   • They don’t care that they are constantly putting people out.
   • Their life is more important than those providing help, and thus they are the priority.
3. Lazy
   • It’s easier to ask someone else to do it.
   • It’s quicker to ask someone else to do it.
   • They don’t want to learn anything new in order to do it on their own.
4. Ignorance
   • Not understanding that growth is more valuable than free time, and if you put in the time and effort now, it will benefit the whole family.
   • (Children specific) Lacking the knowledge that kids need their parents. The more you task others with watching, teaching, disciplining, and raising your kids, the worse it is for the kids.

The difference between being naive and a jerk is about empathy. If you don’t understand empathy, and constantly impose on your system of support, you’re naive. If you understand empathy, but continue to impose on your system of support, you’re a jerk.

The difference between being lazy and ignorant is about education. If you don’t understand the value of doing more in support of/with/for your family, you’re ignorant. If you understand the value of doing more in support of/with/for your family, but choose not to, you’re lazy.

Everyone agrees that it takes a village to raise a child. If you take advantage of that village, you risk burning it down.