What, you want me to teach them that?

Had the last of my 7 exams yesterday and my tutor very sweetly marked it for us so we got our results last night. I passed with a "pretty much perfect" score and yes the pretty much part is annoying as I want to know what I got wrong. Anyway I am really happy that I have achieved another year in my course and as this year is equivalent to 4 a-levels I feel like I am doing OK, but I wouldn't have been able to get through these last 2 years with out the dedication and support of my tutors. This got me thinking, what drives these people to do what they do? Where do they find the patience,caring and understanding to put themselves through quite frankly a mostly thankless task.
You see there are things as parents no one else can really teach your kids, and I find these really really difficult to be strict on even though I know it is crucial.

1. Brushing their teeth, I have struggled with each one of the kids to get this, I don't know if I just show them wrong or they can sense my frustration but tooth brushing is always a battle. I try to keep calm, I get my toothbrush at the same time, I ask them to copy my movements, they then start brushing their teeth with the wrong side, or shoving the toothbrush down the back of their throat and the best one of all the just complete bewilderment when I ask them to do the ones at the back.  Frustration quickly surfaces for both of us and then the ensuing argument of let me do it, no I want to do it when all I want to do is get them out of the house and in to school. The whole thing is a torturous event that has to happen on a daily basis, twice a day for goodness sake I'm surprised I haven't scarred the kids for life with this.

2. Cutting up dinner, really ! I can't be anymore cack-handed in my trying to show them how to do this. I can blame being a lefty all I like but I still don't think it excuses me the various throwing of cutlery across the room in frustration and the stabbing of rather large pieces of meat and saying "just eat it like that". How on earth my parents managed to teach me this art form is beyond me, I am sure if I was to do regression therapy a dinner time teaching session would come up as a traumatic event in my life.  The kids kind of leave me too it when I start and in fact Mooki moo is very kindly taking over this teaching job for me so that Ninja doesn't have to be put through the anguish of seeing his mother lose all sense of hand eye coordination.

3. Tying shoeless laces, it doesn't happen, it just doesn't happen. For one thing I still can't tie a shoeless properly so whatever I teach the kids would be wrong so there really is no point.  I think Mooki moo has picked up the skill to do it somewhere along the way and I may have to hand this task over to her as well to teach the boys but then its not that easy finding a situation anymore that needs a bow tied. I haven't bought a shoe with laces for the kids ever I don't think and so have carefully avoid this whole minefield for many years.

Oh goodness me, I've just realised, I have boys and they do sports, that will mean football boots, trainers, and other various lacy bits of equipment..anyone know of any good shoelace tutors please.......?