In life, everyone faces moments when they are left speechless.
Especially when someone persistently pries you into a question that is difficult to answer, the embarrassment is indescribable.
One day, my son, with his bright, sparkling eyes, asked me.
"Dad, what am I supposed to do if I don't want to answer when someone keeps asking me things I don't like?"
I thought this was the perfect opportunity to pass on my deep wisdom as a father.
I patted my son's shoulder with a benevolent smile."Son, 'head-on' isn't the only answer in life.
Sometimes, you need the skill to subtly change the subject. In professional terms, that is called 'Red Herring.'
Instead of catching the ball the opponent threw, you throw another ball far away to distract their attention."My son nodded.
I was so proud of him that I thought I had passed on a truly excellent 'life skill.'
But I never dreamed that this teaching would return as a 'boomerang' that would shake my peaceful family life to its core.
The incident broke out the very next day. My son returned from school holding a crumpled test paper in his hand.
And on top of it, the number '18' sat mockingly, clearly written in red pen.
It was the moment when the 'lion's roar' of South Korean mothers erupted. Sparks flew from the eyes of my usually gentle wife.
"Is this your score? Huh?! I sent you to so many cram schools this semester; what on earth were you doing instead of studying? 18 points? Are you kidding me?!"
In an instant, the living room turned into a chaotic scene where minus 40 degrees of cold and 100 degrees of heat coexisted.
My wife poured out a barrage of nagging like a machine gun, while I stood in the corner holding my breath, simply worrying about my son's safety.
It was the moment my son should have begged.
That desperate moment when the clichéd line "I made a mistake, I'll do better next time" should have been spoken!
However, the words that came out of my son's mouth made me doubt my ears.
My son looked at my wife very calmly, even wearing a slightly sad expression.
"Mom... actually, I was trying to study, but I couldn't concentrate because of what I saw yesterday." "What? What did you see?!"
My wife stopped her temper and waited for her son to say next.
My son glanced at me and dropped a bombshell.
"Yesterday, I saw you walking affectionately hand in hand with Aunt Wang at the shopping mall...
It kept going on in my head, so I couldn't solve the test problems."
In an instant, the air in the living room stopped. My wife's head creaked and snapped 90 degrees toward me.
The fierce murderous intent that had been directed at my son just moments ago was now pouring entirely toward me.
"Honey... explain yourself. Aunt Wang? Shopping mall? Holding hands? Are you crazy enough to want to die at my hands today?"
I pounded my chest in indignation.
My aunt Wang is my sister-in-law and my wife's older sister!
I happened to meet her at the shopping mall yesterday and helped carry some bags,
and all I did was briefly link arms with her because she almost fell in the crowded throng!
"Honey! Don't believe it! That's the 'distraction' technique I taught you yesterday!
My son is using me as a scapegoat to hide his grades right now!
But my wife was no longer listening to me.
The 8-point report card had already been pushed under the sofa, and my wife's mind was filled only with the dramatic misunderstanding of 'my husband and sister shopping.'
Before I knew it, my son had quietly slipped into his room and locked the door.
The sound of my son humming coming from beyond the door... I realized.
The fact that what I taught was not just a simple topic change, but 'high-level politics' of protecting oneself by exploiting the weaknesses of others.
Everyone, you must be careful when teaching wisdom to your children.
Because you never know when that wisdom might turn into a blade aimed at you.
In particular, do not teach advanced techniques like 'distraction' to children who are not yet skilled.
Children's creativity transcends adult imagination, and their survival instincts pay no heed to a father's social status or the peace of the family.
Today, once again, I have been kicked out of the living room sofa and lie on the cold floor, thinking.
'What does that guy getting 18 points have to do with me... Why am I here groveling in apology?'
Life is truly unpredictable.
Who knew that the skill I taught to help others would become a trap that catches me.
Are you perhaps passing on a 'secret weapon' to your children?
I sincerely hope that weapon does not end up aimed at the back of your head.
