The making of the village idiot...
So many families are filled with tension as there seems to be clashes of opinion and behavior that could have been much easier had there been more attention paid by parents to parents. We see all the reports, the laws, the sanctions, books and shows about what is wrong with society. We allow society to pass laws that are making it easier for people to be even lazier parents. No longer does anyone want to hold themselves or their children accountable; it is much better to spend tax dollars for some legislator whose own children are grown to pass laws on how kids should be schooled, fed, exercised and raised. We make it even worse by letting the FCC decide what is decent for kids to watch on TV and listen too on the radio.
So not only are little Suzy and Bobby going to grow up without the proper role-model at home; they are going to see the traits and habits of the folks on TV. We shall soon have a society of people that will act like the guests of Jerry Springer. Well that may be a bit too far, what we will end up doing is making it seem ok that getting mental and emotional stimulation from the “boob tube” or internet is ok; how much more neglected will the next generation of children be?
Yes, I am sure as you read that last line you said “My kids have phones, we are always in contact.” Well guess what, we all grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and did we have cells? Hell no, we turned out just fine. Our parents talked to us by talking! They didn’t make us even more apt to be dependant on them by tying us to them electronically. We didn’t get a text message or a call saying “Dinner is done, come home soon or I’ll take away your phone privilege for the night” Nope in our case it was “Crap the street lights are on, I gotta go!” Because we knew if we weren’t home by dark, it was going to be “DINNER IS COLD BECAUSE YOUR LATE, EAT IT AND GO TO YOUR ROOM.” For those in the reading audience who are under 17, going to our room meant being isolated from the phone, we didn’t have computers and not many houses had cable in every room. Unless your dad was one of those that made you crawl under the house pulling coax from Radio Shack! (A little personal info there LOL)
So what will it take for parents to take more responsibility and accountability for the raising of and the behavior of their children? Perhaps more parents just need to step up and be parents. There is no need for the governments at any level; federal, state & local to decide it is their duty to protect my children from Coca-Cola, McDonald’s or Starbucks. Thanks for the concern, but you know what? I can do that, it is my job; let me teach my children how to spend their allowances and fill their bellies. I don’t need a law or sanction to make it difficult for me to enjoy what is on TV because Jim-Bob and Sue-Ellen think the shows at 8:00 PM are too mature, if so folks I know what you can do. “TURN OFF YOUR FREAKING TV!” How is that for a super idea, good god the last thing I need is more mind numbing banter on the radio during my daily commutes about the FCC and Administration controlling us.
I did something that is almost taboo with these do-gooders now; I let my children watch the Three Stooges and Bugs Bunny for years. This will sound amazing but they just laughed at the stuff like I did growing up. I thought for sure I’d come home to find an anvil embedded in my youngest daughter’s head, or bruised corneas on her sister from her poking her eyes and definitely they both would burn down the house trying hand off giant TNT packs to each other when one tried to be the Road Runner and the other Wil E. Coyote. I was almost disappointed at the anticlimactic end of my day when I all did find was that they decided to watch Moe Larry & Curly instead of Lilo & Stitch.
If you don’t like what is on the school menu, try this little bit of countermeasure called…packing them a lunch! I know, how in the heck did I ever think that up! Yep your right I am going to start writing my acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize right after this post! No, we don’t pack our kids lunches because for some reason ten minutes in the morning is too much time to invest in being a good parent, it is so much easier to go sit in some school board meeting with other lazy parents and complain; then the coup de grace is stopping at Pizza Hut because you didn’t have time to make dinner now either. Great lessons taught there not to mention you get on the local channel and your children are embarrassed at school as they are pointed out by other kids for having the un-cool parents.
In my town, they blocked a McDonalds from being built because it was within two blocks of the high school, an elementary school and a jr. high too. It would be too tempting for the kids; they would spend their lunch money there. To me that translated to; we are not good parents and are utter failures when it came to teaching our children on what we expect them to do with the money we give them. We know, in fact, that our children will absolutely do the wrong thing because we have raised to be weak when it comes to temptation. So now I am forced to drive an extra 3 miles to have super size fries and a Coke. Of course they didn’t seem to mind a Quizno’s, Subway, Starbucks, Cold Stone, Sierra Coffee House, Chinese Restaurant, and a Pizza parlor among other things to be built in the same shopping center.
Just remember, no body really wants their child to be the village idiot. The best way to prevent that is to not let the village raise them. Raise them yourself, take pride in the fact they will always thank you for it; think of how proud you feel when your friends compliment your children!
Satnam