Parenting and the Parenting Parents who parent their children

This is dedicated to my good friend who recently found out that his wife is pregnant with their first child. I wish you healthy children who are well adjusted and dont talk back.

What is wrong with parents? Moreover, what has happened to parenting? Really, I am in no position to judge since I do not have children and dont have plans to have any, but what has happened? Have parents stopped reading Dr. Spock? Have they lost their natural instincts to take care of their children? Are working mothers to blame? I am not laying judgment here, just pondering the issue and wondering what has happened.

Just now, as I type this post, a little girl is wondering up and down the empty hallway outside of my windowless office. She is about 3 years old, I suppose, and alone. Oh, and she is repeatedly saying "hello" in her tiny little 3 year old voice. She hasnt begun to freak out, but I am sure that in a matter of minutes I will be dealing with yet another whining child and her shrilling screams: "WHERE'S MY MOMMY?" Exactly little girl, I wonder the same thing!

Yesterday I went to Target to kill some time during the middle of the day. As I walked through the doors, with my long hair blowing in my face from the wind outside, I remove my snazzy 'n hot (literally, but dont make me explain) sun glasses and hear the following: "shut up and walk where you are supposed to." I stop dead in my tracks, sun glasses still half on, turn 90 degrees to my right and see an utter mess of a mother with one decrepit child in a cart and the other being dragged along by her hand. This girl wasnt being loud, however she did look like an old teddy bear being pulled along by a 10 year old who shouldnt have a teddy bear anymore. Tell me this, how was this little girl supposed to know where to walk? She was 3, 4 at the most, and in a Target, she doesnt have the mental capacity to remember where she is and how she is supposed to walk.

A few days ago, whilst driving home from the super market, I saw three young children, perhaps 8, maybe 9, years of age walking through the streets alone. Truly, they were walking THROUGH the streets. To make matters worse, they were picking up rocks and throwing them at store signs, although their aim left much to be desired. Instead of actually hitting they were missing terribly and least I forget that there were other people walking along the sidewalk who had to dodge their horribly targeted projectiles. I suppose their moms were too busy making more worthless off-spring to help aid in the world wide effort to over-populate this planet in an alarming rate.

And finally, yesterday I was walking along a South Philly sidewalk, somewhere near my house, and a child, probably 10 years old, was riding his bike on the sidewalk from behind me and started to make annoying noises. For what reason, I have no clue. Perhaps he was trying to be a tough guy? Who knows? He was being taken care of by some useless pre-teen girl who was also riding a bike, but I can only imagine that she was too busy worried about getting laid later than to take care of this child. Needless to say, something had to be done, so after he passed I made some loud annoying noises of my own, to which he responded with some inaudible mumbo-jumbo, thus leading me to call him a naughty name. Yes folks, I cursed at a child.

These are just a few examples of the terrible messes that are waiting to grow up in American today. And from my view point, the problem lies solely with their parents who are doing anything but a bang up job in raising their kin. I really have no speculation as to why parents arent parenting anymore, but it sure would be interesting to find out. And if you yourself are planning on procreating anytime in the foreseeable future, take care of your kids by bring them up as you should. Care about them and their future. Give them a fighting chance by teaching them the difference between right and wrong. I warn you, if you dont they will eventually run into me in some street and I dont take well to provocation. If you dont teach them right chances are that I might;)