Rant-let
"It takes a village to raise a child"
NO. It takes A responsible adult. Not even two, though it's easier. Just one person willing to interact, guide, love, discipline, nurture, teach, listen, etc.
The village should be support structure for that, not a replacement. YOU shouldn't have restrictions placed on the Internet, information you want to view/read/listen to simply because I have procreated. It is my job to raise my kid - not yours. Stop her if she's doing something obviously stupid, wallop her as needed, but she's my kid.
Society, instead, has de-centralized and diminished the importance of parents in raising children, IMO. Let the TV and Britney and Toys'R'Us keep the little brat out of your hair.
I don't want to watch my child 24/7, but anyone who knows Maggie and I can attest that we're active in her upbringing and available anytime for her. It seems beyond coincidence that the ADD and poorly-behaved children seem to always have inattentive parents who buy the kid things rather than giving time and attention.
IMO, it's a result of the change in values from post-WWII. Parents showed off new prosperity by trophying homes, cars, and their overall ability to provide. Mad Ave stepped up and told them everything they needed to give their family If They Loved Them. Add in that society has become more invasive into private decisions (Highlands Ranch HOAs, a resurgence in my-religion's-belief-is-Right laws, etc), and you have parents consoling themselves with how much they've spent and How Good These Kids Have It, and shirking their responsibility to be a parent.
If Laney hates me on her 18th birthday, but has the tools to allow her to succeed within this society, I've done my job - she'll eventually realize her old man was right sometimes and always loves her. I'm not her friend, her buddy - I'm her parent.
NO. It takes A responsible adult. Not even two, though it's easier. Just one person willing to interact, guide, love, discipline, nurture, teach, listen, etc.
The village should be support structure for that, not a replacement. YOU shouldn't have restrictions placed on the Internet, information you want to view/read/listen to simply because I have procreated. It is my job to raise my kid - not yours. Stop her if she's doing something obviously stupid, wallop her as needed, but she's my kid.
Society, instead, has de-centralized and diminished the importance of parents in raising children, IMO. Let the TV and Britney and Toys'R'Us keep the little brat out of your hair.
I don't want to watch my child 24/7, but anyone who knows Maggie and I can attest that we're active in her upbringing and available anytime for her. It seems beyond coincidence that the ADD and poorly-behaved children seem to always have inattentive parents who buy the kid things rather than giving time and attention.
IMO, it's a result of the change in values from post-WWII. Parents showed off new prosperity by trophying homes, cars, and their overall ability to provide. Mad Ave stepped up and told them everything they needed to give their family If They Loved Them. Add in that society has become more invasive into private decisions (Highlands Ranch HOAs, a resurgence in my-religion's-belief-is-Right laws, etc), and you have parents consoling themselves with how much they've spent and How Good These Kids Have It, and shirking their responsibility to be a parent.
If Laney hates me on her 18th birthday, but has the tools to allow her to succeed within this society, I've done my job - she'll eventually realize her old man was right sometimes and always loves her. I'm not her friend, her buddy - I'm her parent.