Friday, December 29, 2006

Legislative or Executive?

Bushism - "The Legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law."(Austin, Texas; November 22, 2000 - posting for January 8, 2007)

Hmmm! I'm wondering here how I could or should try to interpret that statement with respect to trying to watch and discipline, when necessary, Miss Maya, my 3-year-old little whirlwind of a granddaughter!

Am I the legislature - who makes up the laws, or am I the executive branch, who gets to interpret them? Which, if either, or is that the judicial branch, that then enforces these laws too?

As I see it, in my role, I become all three branches of the goverment of this house when I am watching the grandchildren. I get to make (or write) the law, then I get to interpret it as I see fit and finally, I get to administer the regularion of the law as well!

Point right now being, the law has been made - "written" in the oral sense that I have told her now for the past 2 plus hours, that she is to lay down on the sofa, with her blanky and bink, put her head down and stay there! Then comes the executive part where I guess I have to occasionally interpret this law - well, it's like this Maya, you lay down, rest your little body (give Gram's a little break in the action too that way) and you will feel better when it is time to eat supper when Your Daddy gets home. Sounds reasonable enough, sounds easy enough too. But the judicial aspect - of administering this law - a lot tougher than it sounds!

All I need to do is turn my head, my back, go to the kitchen to stir the spaghetti sauce, answer the phone - whatever - and as soon as I do that, the spell of the "written or oral" law is broken, more interpretation is necessary - as in "if you don't listen to me, Grammy is going to take drastic means" and finally, after many, many chances to obey have been put forth, an occasional little tap on the behind, which produces wails such as you would swear the child had just been beaten within an inch of her life - when in reality it is only her pride that has been stepped on. But the trick to administering the judicial side now is to get her to sit still for a while without making her so upset that she puts her head down and cries herself in to a nap - not right now anyway!

That would just result in the need for writing a new law, more interpretation of that and also, even more judicial action needed.

I wonder if this process sounds familiar to our government officials?

1 comment:

Mike said...

Little ones don't stand still very long lol. It's difficult to get them to understand sometimes. Just like some grownups lol.