@AskTheDevil My phone doesn't have anything on it that will endanger me in any way. It's got pictures of my kids, my PokemonGo account, and my social media. My kids are usually with me and everyone knows my social media name. I don't worry about it much.

@LianaBrooks I like to say that I employ the turnip defense. As in "you can't get blood from a turnip".

I have nothing to steal. I'm fairly certain nobody wants my reputation, nor could soil it further than baseline.

I have no title, little property, no wealth, no treasures, and my family are the kind that make poor victims.

@AskTheDevil Yeah, I have some credit card debt and two elderly cars, but nothing else. I don't own land or a house. I don't have any savings. I have four lovely children, but if you steal them that is a You Problem. You made mistakes and you will suffer for that.

@LianaBrooks We have a little ritual when I leave the house, where I adjure our dog to remember to guard Uncle W. from burglars, because otherwise the burglars would be very sad.

@AskTheDevil My sweetest looking children are the one with pink hair who always wears skirts and collects knives, and the tiny one who stabbed two people this year because they touched her and she didn't want to be touched (the school was worried, I told the school to keep the boys from touching her).

Genuinely, if you decide to pick one of them up and kidnap them, that is your mistake and you will pay for it. I'll pick up my kid when they call and help hide the bodies.

@AskTheDevil The other two are taller, have perfected the baleful glare, and play with swords. They're very nice children, but they can across as somewhat intimidating.

@LianaBrooks They sound well-brought up and praiseworthy to me!

@AskTheDevil They're wonderful kids. Very sweet. Very organized (all things considered). Very welcoming. They're absolutely fantastic. I just don't recommend trying to control them, because they're very strong willed and opinionated and the majority of humanity is not ready to see their angry side.

@LianaBrooks Good. I look forward to the world one day seeing them in their full power and wisdom.

@AskTheDevil So do I. Hopefully they can survive today's group task of cleaning the fridges.

No one's dead yet, but voices have been raised and the youngest is hangry.

@LianaBrooks I hope I have a mom like you someday!

It's not that I espouse violence, per se. It's just that I think any children of mine, I'd want them to be able to effect it if called upon, to protect themselves or another.

@AskTheDevil My kids are sensory seeking a lot of the time so we have a collection of weighted practice words and an understanding that we don't hurt people. HOWEVER! If someone touches you without permission and won't stop when you ask politely, you're allowed to defend yourself.

I do encourage them not to stab people and to walk away. But Youngest went to the teacher and was told to sit back down and the teacher ignored the problem. So Youngest handled it.

@LianaBrooks That makes my heart happy to hear.

I believe it is important for people to understand that ultimate authority resides within themselves. That when others will not do the right or needful thing, that it is theirs to correct that as they see fit.

@AskTheDevil Generally we try to teach the kids to correct people without hurting them. But, if the teacher won't help, and you can't walk away, and being loud hasn't brought help... *shrugs*

The boy will now remember that touching people without permission is a Bad Idea and hopefully grow up to be a better person for the lesson.

@AskTheDevil We are not a family who can say "Murder Is Always Wrong". I know my ancestors. I know my grandmother's second husband went missing and she has a bullet scar in her shoulder but no divorce papers because the dude vanished in the Alaskan wilderness.

I'm a good human being because I actively choose to be. Not because I come from a long genetic line of gentle people who would never hurt anyone.

@LianaBrooks This is the way.

@LianaBrooks Many years ago, I ran across some dumb "word of the day" article. The word meant "a person who generally follows the laws of society, but not out of fear of reprisal, but because they happen to agree with them and choose to."

I promptly lost the link and never found it again and cannot remember the word.

@AskTheDevil The first word that comes to mind is "compliant" but I'm not sure if that actually works.

@LianaBrooks It was a word for a person having the quality of "they're only coincedentally law-abiding", not an adjective applied to such a person. And it's not anything to do with compliance, or obedience.

Like a person who doesn't murder, but not because it's a law, but because they just happen to not like murdering.