rant within a rant July 29, 2006
A few days ago I was all set to sit down and write a rant about how parents don’t freakin’ control their kids when my internet connection died for the fifth time this week. If things don’t improve soon, I’m gonna call Time Warner and give someone an ear full. The last time I had trouble with my internet connection, Time Warner swore up and down that there was no outage in my area (when there obviously was, because my internet connection returned within a matter of hours with absolutely no help from them). But back to the original rant…
I realize and fully acknowledge that, not being a parent myself, I probably have no right to criticize other people’s parenting. That being said…I cannot stand when parents repeatedly threaten their screaming kids with punishment, but never follow through. I hate when parents try to reason and reach a compromise with their tantrum-throwing three-year-old. Don’t they realize they are creating the behavior? If you never follow through with punishment, the child will walk all over you. Why do so many parents seem to be scared that punishing their children will make them hate them? Why do so many parents want to be their kids friends instead of their authorities? It’s bad! Stand up! Be the boss! You’re an adult and they’re a kid. DO NOT let those roles be switched. Why is this so hard for people to understand?
And apparently no one is taught manners anymore. As I was walking out of the Apple store last week with my sister, three teenage boys approached the store to enter. Now I was raised in the South and am used to certain procedures for such situations, so I was absolutely appalled when the boys attempted to push their way in the door at the same moment we were exiting. First of all, everyone knows that when entering through a double door you are supposed to use the door on the right…pedestrian rules=traffic rules. Rachel and I were following that rule…boys were not. Second, if a man approaches a door at the same time as a woman, he is supposed to hold the door for her out of respect. I was so taken aback by these boys that we almost had a manners lecture right there in the doorway of the Apple store, but it took me a minute to recover, so the boys were spared. But be warned…the next person who does something so obviously rude and thoughtless in my presence might just get a lecture.
Ah. I’ve been wanting to get that off my chest for a few days. Good job, internet connection.
Oy, what about those hooligans on friday night??
Oh, and the pictures of the party look awesome.
Yeah. The kids from Friday night definitely added to the original inspiration for this entry.
You are right on about manners. Especially up here in CO, it’s almost like culture shock. And if parents would learn how to control their kids instead of letting their kids control them…everyone would be better off!
ah yes…. the reason why that nanny show is so popular… it really is the parents though- not that i’m one my self either. however, i do have about 20 of them every sunday afternoon for a good two hours. you can honestly tell which kids have parents/parent who disipline them, and then the kids who have never heard the word “no” before. on a dirrefetnt note… i still can’t believe that cord cost $50!
Allea,
I am so glad that we have reconnected, because you preach the truth and I love reading it when you write it. The other night I was out to dinner with my parents at Qdoba when we decided to sit outside. Little did we know that there was going to be a group of 15 or so kids that decided to sit outside(all under 13) while their parents sat inside. At one point they had a full choir standing up and singing, while appropriate some places, dinner is not one of them. Finally I complained to the manager because they were running and screaming all over the place. The manager came out and said something to the kids, and found their parents. When I went back in, one of the parents had the audacity to say “That’s the one, she must not have kids.” All I could think was 1)There are kids out there who are sitting quietly talking with their families, do their parents not have kids, are they mini adults in diguise? and 2) Thank GOD that I am not a person who is trying to get pregnant and can’t, because that might have crushed me. So it just goes to show that a lack of decorum on the childrens’ part probably reflects a lack of decorum on the parents’ part.