Page 74 - 1st Anthology 2011

and to share and to be good to one and other. Those are the things I’ve been taught and
to respect one and other. That’s about all I can say about myself.

I look at animals, like my dogs I treat them like little babies. I baby them and my wife says
why you babying them. I look at it as if I were looking after myself. If you put them
outside a wild animal will eat them right, even coyotes or a hawk or an eagle. If you take
them out and they’ll just hang around the house. I let them play around then I let them
back in at night time cause I don’t want to lose my pups.

I like to go back to the good past and try to tell my grandchildren about the future. The
old ways were good but you got to modernize it. You have to respect your elders, respect
your household, and things like that. Drinking is no good for you I try to teach my
grandchildren these things. Don’t drink, if you do then you have to live your life the way
you want.

I don’t segregate anything from my grandchildren. I try to explain life to them so they can
be happy and enjoy themselves. I told them if they don’t drink they will be happy. A sober
life is a better life because I experienced it. I didn’t like the downer from drinking and I
tried to explain this to them. My two granddaughters that live with me understand these
things.

When they come to my house they do whatever they do like chores. I just give them little
chores to do. After I just let them do whatever they want. They have their own rooms and
they make sure the rooms are clean. I let them have their privacy like I have my own.
That’s important in life for each person to be allowed their privacy in life. Whatever they
want in life. Respect the other person next to you, have respect for each other and that
way life will be good, that’s the way I look at it. That’s the way I look at children and
grandchildren I try let them be themselves.

When they come, my wife puts out a box of toys there so they can play all they want.
We’ll have little treats for them. I was taught to be good to one and other. Life is hard and
we have to enjoy those things.

When my other granddaughter comes home they are just like a bunch of magpies. They
say what are magpies. They use to be on the reserve but now all you see are crows. I tell
her it’s a black and white bird and that it’s an Alberta bird. It’s an Alberta bird that
magpie. That’s what I say about us, enjoy each and every day.

We are all unique and I teach my grandchildren these things that you are unique. You are
not like mother and you are not like your dad. You’re your own person. Be your own
person and do what your heart tells you, and not what people tell.

Yet you have to listen to your elders and they will teach you something. I’ll teach you one
thing but listen to somebody else and teach somebody else. That is what I know I said to
my granddaughters. My wife is a woman and she teaches them her certain ways of doing
things. I teach them my way. They get their own way of doing things. That’s what you

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