Some people are meant to be parents and I am not one of
those people. They seem to be in this
zen state of being and in harmony with their children while the rest of us are
pulling out hair out and stocking up on Barefoot Merlot. Don’t get me wrong, if I really focus and
apply myself- as with anything else- I am a decent parent, but if someone was
offering quarterly training on raising children, SIGN ME UP! There is no shame
in my game.
We spend thousands of dollars to go to school to get better
careers. We go through numerous hours of training at work to be better at our
jobs. But, let someone comment or make a suggestion about how we deal with our
children and all hell breaks loose. We know what’s best for our children and no
one else. I remember being 18-years-old, in my infinite wisdom, snapping at my
son’s grandma for making a suggestion about something or the other about what I
should do with my son. Mind you she’s raised four children of her own.
Now when I suggest that there be a parenting class I don’t
mean diaper changing, bathing, and first aid. I mean, like, how to tell a kid
about God when you aren’t too sure about religion yourself? What’s a nice way
tell a 6-year-old to “stop asking so many damn questions, it doesn’t really matter
how many leaves are on that tree”?
Luckily, I think, my son has developed a pretty thick skin
and I can tell him, “Please shut up” without him crying or thinking his mother
doesn’t love him. But then again, I think, “Is this how he’s going to allow
women to treat him in the future?” With
all of my parental shortcomings, I think how this is affecting the type of
person that my son will be as he gets older. Which brings me back to my case
for quarterly parental training.
You need a license or permit to drive a car, get married,
and even to build a new porch on your house. Anyone, however, without any
government regulation or involvement can reproduce and raise other human
beings. Even children can do it! I know… I did. But while I don’t have the
answer to the world’s problem of overpopulation, I can offer my commentary on
the need for reproductive regulation and strict parental guidance.
Am I the only one who
feels this way?
Shannon
Not at all and I have three children. My mental state is normally somewhere between what the f$@ and total psychosis when it comes to dealing with my kids. I'm all for trainings. Ans you're right...they let anybody give birth and raise children. Just because you're able to bear children doesn't mean you're able to raise them. I have a friend that adopted a dog and all memebers of her household had to be interviewed and they had to do a home visit to see what kind of environment the dog would live in and they offered classes on raising dogs. IT'S A DOG....NOT A HUMAN. But I can be the excrement of the world and have a baby....as long as I bring a car seat to the hospital they let me leave with this small human no training no nothing.
ReplyDeleteGood point. Interviews!
Deletei totally agree with u on this one! Even though i do consider myself one of those natural care-giving types, the truth of the matter is No One Person has All of the answers that's why it Used to take a Village to raise a Child. It sucks how on the defense people can be about taking advice on raising their children, especially in today's society when if the village was raising the child, the world would be a better, safer, and more peaceful place to live in. That you care about the impact your parenting styles have on your son's future proves that your parenting skills are about 90-something percent better than most. Very few people think in terms of their child's future because they are too busy living in the here and now of their own "Oh so important" lives. Good luck on finding that parenting class that probably doesn't, but definitely should exist though. If u find it let me know cause I'll be signing up too! But who knows, maybe your blog will inspire someone to create that parenting class that will allow people to earn a "license to parent" at the end.
ReplyDelete-Power to the parents brave enough to admit that they need help!
I think you're one of those parents too, Steph.
Delete