In case of emergency...

I may have already wrote about this but when Amanda was here babysitting, she came to the 'troubled yoot' school for a tour. I was showing her stuff and explaining why things are set up the way that they are and she was like, "if I worked at this school, I would beat the kids' asses if they were bad." And I replied, "and that is why you don't work in education."

But, the point is, she had a point. There is a different standard today than there was even 15 years ago when I was in school. Allow me to provide an example. Last week, I was leaving Shannon Park when the DAPE kids (a form of Adaptive Phy Ed for students on IEPs, and no, I don't know what the D stands for) were in the entry way listening to the DAPE teacher tell them about the rules for sledding. One of the kids blurts out "NOOOOO!!!" because he doesn't want to take turns. As if this was an option. But that's the problem. Kids nowadays think that they get to have a say, and because parents are too busy trying to be friends with their children, the children don't know that this is not 'supposed' to be the way the world works. Parents/Adults make the decisions and children go along with it. It's not a child democracy. Seriously.

Then there was this woman on the radio who was talking about how she found pictures of her daughter in her bra and panties on her phone. She wanted to say something but she was worried that the daughter would get mad. Hello?!? Who's the parent? If you, as the parent are paying for your 17 year old daughters phone, then you should have every right to check what she is doing on it and if it's not what you consider appropriate, then you have the right to say something. It doesn't matter if your child gets mad because they are not your friend, they are your child. Children get mad at parents, and amazingly enough, they usually get over it.

Growing up there were several times where I was told to go to my room and I did so and was mad at my parents at the time but I love them to bits now. I don't think back and resent them for it. If I could remember anything they ever sent me to my room for, I would appreciate that they were my parents and not my friends then. This is why we are good friends now.

I say all this because even though he is only 298 days old, the stress of knowing how to raise a child and discipline him 'correctly' already is in my head. I don't want to raise a child that ends up going to the 'troubled yoot' school. I don't. And that's really all I have to say about that...for now.