If there is anything my children hate more than having their fingernails trimmed, I am at a loss to determine that activity. The second that me or Mrs. Matthews pull the clippers out, they flip out. A task that should take no more than a couple of minutes stretches out tenfold as we try to keep the boys from squirming and flexing their fingers.
From experience, I know that it does me no harm when I cut my own. There is no pain associated with chopping off the dead cells that create the nails. Of course, the converse is not true. Letting them grow, even a little, usually leads to large scratches administered by the boys to their own faces. While the cutting inflicts no discomfort, fighting with a stronger person to establish finger position is not comfortable, either. So, what does their protest accomplish?
I thought about this a lot when debating whether Police Chief Bill Citty should resign his post.