Stupid People, Part 2: Parents

Yep, parents.

So let's start with the mother of the two brothers responsible for the vicious attacks in Boston.

Ok so I get it. You're their mother. You're supposed to think they're innocent. But I am pretty sure this applies to your child pushing someone on the playground, pulling a little girl's hair, or stealing gum from the candy store. Lady, your older son had explosives strapped to his body and he was shooting at the police. We kind of get testy when that happens. You say you regret bringing them to America? Why don't you tell that to the families of the four people they murdered? Freakin' nut job.

Hold on, I need a second. Deep breaths. Ok.

Next, we'll move on to examples of parents who have little or no common sense. A perfect example? Right here.....

I'm sorry, but I will argue with anyone who says it's "normal" to give a FIVE YEAR OLD a real, working shotgun for their birthday. A child that age does not have the mental capability to understand the seriousness of what a weapon like that is capable of. But then to leave the room, leaving the gun with said child, LOADED, with your two year old in the room?? 

WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?????? 

Oh wait, you were the same person who gave the gun to the five year old in the first place. Never mind.  

I have two children. They are five years apart. I cannot even imagine the horror of this situation. May that sweet baby girl rest in peace, may that poor sweet boy somehow move on and become a productive part of society, and may those parents never, ever forget that it is their fault for putting that gun in that child's hands. And if any of you try to argue and tell me it was an accident, you can just can it. That's bullshit and you know it. 

Ok, hang on again. I'm gonna need a couple of seconds here. Lord have mercy. 

All righty then. Let's talk about the parents who want to be their kid's buddy. Their pal. Hell, even their best friend. These people joke at inappropriate times, throw food across the table with their kids trying to get them to laugh, use sarcasm when it's not needed or wanted, and generally make asses out of themselves trying to live vicariously through their children. These are the the moms of the Honey Boo Boo's, the parents of the Lindsay Lohan's, and pretty much any other parent who would subject their children to being on a reality show. The above mentioned people? I can't even get started on them, because I would never stop writing. That Honey Boo Boo chick is a total train wreck, beating out Lindsay Lohan by a smidge, and only because her mother is even scarier. Pageant moms. There's a topic for another day.

Then you have the enablers. These parents are the ones who smile and laugh when their kids tell them, "I hate you." They're the ones who buy anything and everything the kid wants because they want the kids to like them. They do the "talking" thing instead of actual consequences, because they are afraid of harming their child's self-esteem somehow. These are also the Helicopter Parents. They hover, circle, and swoop in at the first sign of any struggle, never letting the child figure anything out for themselves. They blame the teachers, the other students, the principal, and hell, even the lunch ladies in school for their child's poor grades or issues because it just can't be anything the child is doing wrong. Any trouble the kid gets into must be someone else's fault. They will continually bail their children out of any situation, so much so that by the time the child graduates, they have no idea how to fend for themselves.

I am not a perfect parent. I have never claimed to be. But I have worked with kids of all ages, in preschool and as a teacher in elementary school. I've changed more diapers than most of you will ever see in a lifetime, I've worn so many hats I've lost count, I've done it all. And do I know everything? Absolutely not. But would I ever do this??

Of course not. Why? Because I am not an idiot.

I am a child of a nasty divorce, and I come from the most dysfunctional family....seriously, Dr. Phil would have a FIELD DAY with these people. I grew up in the south with racism, bigotry, intolerance, and hatred, and yet I put myself through college, I contribute to charities, I married a wonderful, successful man who has his priorities straight, I strongly believe in being kind to others (unless they give you reasons not to be), I am very strict about social rules, manners, and etiquette, and my children and I try to practice random acts of kindness whenever we get the chance. We thank service men and women when we see them, we bake cookies for the fire and police departments, and we volunteer and get involved with our town. Why am I telling you this? BECAUSE A BAD PAST IS NO EXCUSE FOR A FAILING PRESENT. Blaming your inadequacies as a parent on your upbringing is just crap. People who refuse to take responsibility for their actions and who blame all of their troubles on others just piss me off. You make choices. Don't blame others if you made crappy ones.

I love it when I hear, "I can't control my children." Really? At what point did you decide to give up on being a parent and let the kids walk all over you? Kids misbehaving in the restaurant? LEAVE. Give them one warning. Then leave. It might be inconvenient for you, but they'll get the point. Kids not listening at the mall, or whining because they are not getting everything they want? LEAVE. Kids acting up in the grocery store? Yep, you guessed it.....LEAVE. Even if you have a full cart of groceries. I have walked up to a manager, pushed my cart full of food over to them, apologized profusely, and walked out of the store with a screaming child. I have also put my child in time out in the middle of the store. You are the parent. Act like it. You are the one in control. Act like it. My first born tries every day to push my buttons and get her way, and every day it doesn't work. You'd think she would have figured that out by now. 

Oh and here's a good one........I've got news for you, people.....not everyone thinks your kids are as cute as YOU think they are. So if your kids are being loud in a public place, especially when it's inappropriate, it is {newsflash!} your job to take care of the situation. This is especially directed at you.....oh brainiac parents who take their toddlers to R-rated movies that start at 8 or 9 pm. This is also directed at the parents who do nothing to keep their children entertained on airplanes, buses, subway trains, or other enclosed spaces, and the parents who are oblivious to the fact that their children are bothering or touching other people. Just last night my husband and I were having dinner, sitting outside on the patio of our favorite restaurant. The man sitting with his back to my husband picked up his son, who looked to be about three years old. The child kept poking my husband in the back. I used my mommy tone and told the child to keep his hands to himself, dad stayed oblivious. Kid did it again, my husband turned around and said, "Hey!" The kid stopped, dad stayed oblivious. 

Now, I love kids. I really do. I focus in on kids anywhere I go before I notice adults. I love talking to kids, I love interacting with kids. It's one of the reasons I became a teacher. But one thing I hate is for kids or anyone to invade my personal space. Even when it's my own kids. I just need my space. Hugs and cuddles are different, but don't just start messing with me. I can't take it. So one thing that makes me nuts is standing in lines in public places. People do NOT control their children or pay attention to them at all. I have had kids (and I am talking teenagers) stand right up next to me while waiting in line. I have had people standing behind me holding children where the children have pulled my hair. I take a step forward, they take a step forward. Seriously, I don't belong to you! Back the heck off! I will loudly tell my children not to get into other people's space, if only to make the point to other people standing around us. I will say, "Those people don't belong to us, don't stand so close," or, "There is no reason for us to stand so closely to these nice people, let's give them their space." Does it work? Yeah, not so much. People are just clueless. And it's just getting worse.  

I've said for years that I think it's absolutely ridiculous that you must have a license to catch a fish or shoot a gun, but any moron can have a child. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Here's an idea......start making parents responsible for the stupid crap their children do. Kid brings a weapon to school? Teenage boys get into a fight at a game? Haul the parents in.....and chastise them for not teaching their children to know better. How about the teenage girl that flipped off the judge in the courtroom? Her parents should also have been fined for raising such a brat. Lindsay Lohan, anyone? Her parents should have been spade and neutered before they were ever even allowed to have children.  Then we have the teenage girls that throw their babies in trash cans. The bullies who harass their schoolmates to the point of suicide. How about the 17 year old soccer player in Utah who punched the referee in the side of the head after being issued a foul, ultimately killing him? How is it that these people are allowed to raise these completely unproductive, sociopathic, disrespectful, conscience free individuals and then unleash them into society for all of us to deal with? Where is the logic in that? Maybe if people KNEW there would be consequences for raising children who are complete reprobates, they might think twice before having children OR they might really try to do a better job of raising them in the first place. 

And the creme de la creme? The icing on the cake? The "OH MY GOD I WANT TO PUNCH THIS WOMAN IN THE FACE THROUGH MY COMPUTER SCREEN!!!"?

Yep, I'll leave you with that one. Y'all have a nice day.

Stupid People, Part I

Holy hell.

So I've been trying for two days to come up with a specific topic to go on a tirade about. There are just so many to choose from, and so many people doing stupid things every day. Decisions, decisions. Do I go with politics? All the crap happening in Boston? How about a parenting post? And then it hit me. At Chili's. And I didn't even have a margarita.

So first of all, there's something you should know about me. I am incredibly nosey. I am constantly amazed at the drama people will create in public places. I mean really, if you're going to have an argument or heated debate in a public place, how can you expect people not to listen? It drives my husband crazy. Maybe it's a character flaw......maybe I get drawn in to people's drama because it helps me forget about the ridiculous drama around me (and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a story for another day).

So there I am, sitting with my kids, and there is a table near us with two older couples. The offspring are preoccupied with their gadgets, and the hubs is out of town, so of course I tune in to the conversation. Here are some snippets:

• "Well yeah, I think Obama is the antichrist. I mean, look at all that's been happening lately, it's a sure sign the end of the world is comin'." (Be sure to read that with a nice redneck drawl.) To which one of the others replied, "Well, all that shit happened in Boston, and they're all democrats. I'm just sayin'." (Took everything I had not to reply to that one.)
• "I've driven a Chevy for over fifty years. You ain't ever gonna convince me that any of that foreign stuff is made any better." (Yadda, yadda, yadda.)
• "I don't wanna talk about no gay marriage. Men was meant to marry women, anything else is against what the Bible teaches." (Let's just ignore the fact that the bible also says that unless the woman is a virgin, the marriage will never be recognized.......and oh I could so go on.)
• And the icing on the cake......I couldn't hear the exact comment, but the gist was that the people in West were being punished for being German, or of German descent. (Because you know that all Germans are direct descendants of Hitler, right?)

And that was when I decided I had lost too many brain cells by listening. Maybe this one will teach me a lesson and I'll stop eavesdropping. Yeah, maybe not. The blatant attraction I feel for completely ignorant and clueless people who have public conversations is a little scary. It's like not being able to look away from a car accident......I can't NOT listen.

So seriously, what the hell is wrong with people? I cannot understand how anyone can walk around being so narrow-minded, so biased, and so naive. A lot of people like this always claim what devout Christians they are, and they love to quote the bible. The funny thing is, in my experience those who profess to be the most Christian also end up being the most judgmental, the most hateful, and the most intolerant. Westboro Baptist Church, anyone? Yes, they are an extreme example, but I am sure there are many more like it that just don't get the air time. Scary thought, isn't it? Doesn't the bible also say love thy neighbor?

I warned you in the page description, I am pro-equal rights. That means I am for equal rights in all things, including marriage. If you're not, and you kept reading anyway, well, I really don't know what to tell ya. Maybe you're clueless, too. But come on!  If two people wish to be married, regardless of their gender, then who am I to say they can't? It has nothing to do with me. And it has nothing to do with you. As long as they are happy, and they aren't hurting anyone, then who freakin' cares? Why is what goes on in someone's bedroom anyone's business but theirs? I just don't get it. Live and let live, people. The firstborn asked me not too long ago if boys could marry boys, and if girls could marry girls. Her grandmother (who is akin to Archie Bunker in her views) was sitting next to her. I told her that mommy's heart had fallen in love with daddy, so that's who I married. But my heart could have fallen in love with another girl, and daddy's heart could have fallen in love with another boy, and that would have been ok. I told her that you can't control who your heart falls in love with. She seemed pretty satisfied with that answer, and she was happily playing with her princess castle a few minutes later. The look I was getting from Archie, though, was priceless. And that made it all worth it.

I have to say.....the argument that gay marriage will destroy the institution of marriage in this country is the MOST ridiculous, self-righteous, narrow-minded argument that one could ever present. Seriously? There are so many hypocrites in this arena it's not even funny. Newt Gingrich, who based his political career on the "family values" platform, has been married three times, and has had affairs each time. He even asked one wife for an open marriage so he could keep his marriage and his mistress. What a guy. The Terminator had a "secret" child with a member of his household staff. You've got General Patraeus, Anthony Weiner........nope, not going there......, Chris Lee, Mark Souder, Bill Clinton (IN the Oval Office, for God's sake), and the list goes on and on and on. Moving over to Hollywood, we could talk about Britney Spears, Hugh Hefner, Elizabeth Taylor, Renee Zellweger, Tiger Woods, Kim Kardashian, blah blah blah. Oh no.....it's the loving same-sex couple living quietly in the suburbs, paying their taxes, living meaningful and productive lives......THOSE are the people that will destroy the institution of marriage. The argument is so inane it makes my head explode. And here again, we have people who argue against equal rights by hiding behind the bible. Sorry, but you lost me at, "The bible says......". I am no expert, but I am pretty sure the bible was never meant to be used to spew intolerance and hatred. Oh but here's the kicker.....people (and I mean people who get to speak publicly, in the media, where everyone can hear them) have actually attempted to defend their stance by arguing that it is unhealthy for children to be raised anywhere but in a loving home that has a mother and a father. A man and a woman.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Where do I even start with that? Well, let's start here.

Zach Wahls Speaks About Family

I would love to meet this young man and shake his hand. Hell, I would love to have him and his moms over for dinner. I love these people.

I have seen firsthand children who were being raised by a single parent that have turned out to be well-mannered, productive, and positive examples to society. I have also seen children, who were being raised by single parents, struggle in school and with the law. The same goes for children of "traditional parents". But children being raised by same-sex parents are going to be harmed psychologically or otherwise? Good grief. Being raised by homosexual parents does NOT make one homosexual! And any good parents, regardless of gender, are better than bad parents. I saw this the other day:

I freaking LOVE this. Try to argue this point with a bible thumper and they'll start stammering. They have no argument for this. I mean, if God made me, and I have a baby, then God made the baby too, right? (Well, sex helped, but I digress.) And then if that baby turns out to be homosexual, are you now saying God didn't make the baby? Aren't we all created in God's image? Doesn't God love all of his children? Oh and if you're Catholic, look away........because I'm about to go off on the Pope. He said "gay marriage destroys the essence of being human." WHAT A FUCKING HYPOCRITE. So tell me, all of those priests raping little boys.......how do you think that affected their "essence"? And the fact that the church covered up most of the occurrences, simply moving the rapist priests around to other parishes where they could do it again, what message do you think that sent to those children? There is steam coming out of my ears now.

I'll end with this:

I could go on and on and on, which is why this post is labeled "Part I". I've got to save some stuff for future rants!!

Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths. Okie dokie. Went to the doctor yesterday and my blood pressure was a little high, which is unusual for me. So I am trying to some meditation and breathing exercises to calm myself. But then Archie calls, or I see some news story about stupid people saying stupid things, and I get myself all worked up. Hence this blog......it's kind of like therapy for me. So I'll keep writing, and hopefully you'll keep reading and sharing!

In the meantime? Worry about yourselves, people......worry about yourselves.