In the news today, a man found a toddler near a highway in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
The toddler’s parents were outside while the toddler was napping and asked their 12 year old son to keep an eye on her. Sometime during the period, the toddler awoke, got up and wandered out of the house, towards the highway.
The parents are now being charged with neglect.
How is this neglectful? They did not wilfully leave the child alone. They thought she was safe at home. Do the authorities even know how children are? They are curious and adventuresome, and often give parents a hard time. Ever heard of the terrible twos?
What irks me even more are the comments made online about the parents as though they are bad people who wanted harm to come to their kids. Geeze! Talk about self-righteous people on their high-horses. I guess these are all model parents, who has never made mistakes and whose children are little angels that do as they are told and just sit quietly and make no movements whatsoever.
I’m seeing more and more posts online about parents who do silly or stupid things and people blasting it all over social media. I wonder how many of these people even have kids. Having children now is becoming more and more of a hassle, with people all over judging your actions. But many of these people making those comments have no authority, moral or otherwise, to judge anyone.
I wonder how many people are judging me or my wife as to how we raise our kids; my wife tells me comments she gets sometimes. My only thought is that they should look in the mirror before saying anything.
I know that I’m not always the best father, but I try my best. I make mistakes like any other human.
Parents nowadays go out of their way to keep their children “safe” – physically and emotionally.
Parents running after their children with hand sanitiser when they touch anything; and I mean anything. Padded everything, and low climbing frames at playgrounds to prevent any injuries. Parents calling up the principal at schools whenever the teacher has a harsh word with their child.
Schools give trophies and medals to all children saying that they are all winners, just in case one may become unhappy or feel like a failure. We tell kids to not bully, but we do nothing to teach them how to be confident about themselves.
All this because people do not like to be judged themselves.
Parents don’t want to be thought of as being bad parents. Schools do not want to be thought of as bad schools. But from my view, no one knows what is good or bad for children.
I personally don’t care what others say about me.
I’m not here for my children’s enjoyment. I’m not here to make them happy. They alone are responsible for that.
I am here to ensure that they have what they need to be healthy and educated. That they grow up with the confidence they need to become productive members of the world. That they grow up with their own sense of morality of what’s right and wrong, based on understanding, and not from what anyone has told them.
I don’t believe in giving them the latest toys and any snack they want so that they wouldn’t cry. Let them cry if they want, they will learn that crying gets nothing. When the time comes, they will also learn that they will get only what they work for.
And one other thing – I don’t care if my kids love me. That’s right. I care that they are healthy, that they’re safe, and that they are educated. And I definitely care that I love them.
I owe my kids my love; they owe me nothing in return.
We all complain about the new generation, just like the older generation complained about us. But let’s all face it, neither of us have done a great job. And perhaps that was never the intention. Perhaps it was all expected to be trial-and-error.
I would say however, that humans evolved by forming social groups and looking after each other. Now, we mostly look after ourselves. But perhaps I’m judging the human race a bit too harshly.
So do my views make me a bad parent? Well… I don’t care what you think about me.
I alone will judge myself.