"Someone has to do it..." He gave a modest shrug. When the man talked about sending the children to apologize, he would have waved his hand and said that it was nothing, but he knew the man had to discipline his own children the way he saw fit. It wasn't any of his business to interfere with that. He merely nodded instead, took a few more puffs of his pipe, and then he said, "Seems like I am in for a lot of trouble... having children." He gave a chuckle, obviously meaning his words as a joke... albeit a half joke.