Potential Result Denial

Potential Result Denial: noun. The belief that a certain person's action(s) will or can result in a different outcome than would result if the same action(s) were to be carried out by a different person, particularly if the person has no control over the actual result.

We've all done it. You tell your kids not to do something because it is dangerous, and then proceed to do he same thing ourselves, as if it is less dangerous for us, even when it's not. Or we look in the same place for a missing object that we know our spouse just looked in, because for us, it may magically appear.

The other day, there was a pretty nasty lightning storm, which is not uncommon for us this time of year. During that time, Monkey Son #2 needed a diaper change, which I attended to. Now, being a mom, I had the urge to wash my hands afterward. Being a moron, I gave in to that urge.

Now, I wouldn't bathe my children during such a storm, and I seriously doubt I would send them to wash their hands. The reason being, of course, that there was lightning hitting pretty close, which means a potential zap. But, oh, that won't happen to me. That may happen to the kids if they were to do it, or it may happen to a stranger down the road, but not me. I'll be quick. So, I started to wash my hands.

Do you see where I'm going with this? Before I had even finished rinsing the soap off, there was a crash boooooom! as lightning struck somewhere nearby and I found myself standing away from the sink, holding my hand. Fortunately, I was not hurt, but my hand did get a pretty good shock. I.am.a.moron. When I told hubby about it, he said the lightning in question struck a telephone pole some distance away, which subsequently caught on fire. Then he advised me not to play with the lights or water during a storm. Good advice.