That means, BE A PARENT!
I am absolutely disgusting by how the upcoming generation is being raised. They're snotty, stupid, and have no regard to themselves and others. They get away with murder because when the chips are down, Mommy and Daddy are going to bail their asses out.
But who's fault is it? The child, for being snotty and stupid, or the parents, for constantly bailing their asses out.
Here's a hint: the parents.
Are parents forgetting how to parent? It appears so. In the past, when a child did something wrong, the parents stepped up to take responsibility for the mistake and to make sure that the child was punished accordingly. Today, it seems that everybody else is at fault EXCEPT the child.
Recently, on these very boards, a person posted a link to a shooting at a Seattle rave. One poor, terrified mother reported that her daughter was there and that she didn't know if the girl was okay. The mother was quoted saying that she never liked those parties and that the girl "shouldn't have gone." HELLO! Shouldn't have gone? You're letting your 15 year old immature child decide whether or not she's going to attend a rave? How ignorant are you? Do you forget what raves consist of?
Here's another case, where a 10 year old boy lost an eye after shooting himself with a paintball gun. The mother, during an interview, starting blaming the lack of safety programs teaching kids otherwise-- gee, Mom, did you forget what you were there for? If you're going to buy your 10 year old a paintball gun, don't you think you should make sure he's properly trained?
Guess not.
All around me today, I see parents who are forgetting what the hell they're there for. When something goes wrong, they try to blame everybody but themselves. It's a vicious cycle. As a result, their children are ignorant and arrogant little brats. I see it at the stores, where the children are running around all over the place unattended. I see it by schools, where kids are out smoking and hanging out instead of being in class. I see it everywhere. You can't miss it. And it breaks my heart, because the root of this problem is that their parents don't know how to be parents.
Parents, BE PARENTS!
It is YOUR job to make the rules and MAKE SURE they are enforced.
It is YOUR job to check in on your kids and make sure they're safe.
It is YOUR job to say "NO" when your child wants to go to a potentially dangerous place.
It is YOUR job to make sure your child understand the importance of school and getting a good education.
It is YOUR job to make sure your child isn't hanging out with a bad crowd.
And your YOUR child messes up, it is YOUR job to make sure they understand what they did wrong, fix the mistake, and are punished for it.
You are NOT supposed to be their friends. That means it's normal if they get mad at you when you say no, it's normal if they get mad at you for "invading their privacy", it's normal if they get mad at you for asking about their friends, it's normal if they get mad at you for grounding them because they forgot to take out the garbage, and it's normal for them to get mad at you for making sure their homework is completed.
Because when they're in their late 20's and 30's and are successful, they'll be thanking YOU for being there, for guiding them down the right path.
To all of the good parents out there, I commend you immensely. To all of the good kids out there, pat yourselves on the back. I feel terribly sorry that your peers on both sides are making all of you look bad.
It's just pathetic anymore.
Who's the child, the 7 year old with the attitude, or the 37 year old who can't take responsibility?
