The Norm Classics by Michael Jantze for July 04, 2021

I think your kids are going to remember this night, Norm!

My siblings always loved fireworks. I had sensitive ears and found them physically painful.

for about 8 years after I left Vietnam, I could not tolerate fireworks. Eventually, I learned to enjoy them again. When I am expecting them.

Sometimes the best seats in the house aren’t the best seats in the house

And the panicky dogs all alone at home are getting bombarded by the folks in the neighborhood shooting off their own. It’s why we stopped going out for the Fourth, even with no kids. See also, veterans with PTSD.

My recently deceased wife and I ran the full gamut in the 35 years we were together. We had dogs that were afraid and panicked, 1 ran away but we found her next day. Before our son was born we went to a fireworks display and ended up in the “fallout” zone with ashes all over us. Later we ended up with dogs who were not afraid unless it was really close and LOUD. The chihuahua’s were small enough to sit with someone and be held and the Catahoula was deaf so only the “vibration” of a big explosion alerted him. Last night there was nobody to be afraid as they are all gone now.

My kids were never scared of fireworks. It worried me that they would never get a healthy respect for explosives.

I have never seen kids, at least of that age, in fear of a fireworks display. In fact just the opposite.