I don't have the patience it takes to be a parent. And I think many/most parents are idiots, from observation and results.

Our society is hammered with the concept of "keep them safe", to the point of insanity. The world is not a safe place, it never will be, and the world is not going to bow to the parents who want to make it safe just because they're too lazy to do their job. And all the laws in the world aren't going to change that.

Parents want their kids to do as they're told, with no back-chat, but if a stranger approaches/entices them, they want them to think for themselves and start yelling. These are two entirely different behaviors, and they want the kids to know when and where to change their behavior without any training. If something happens, they blame the kid for not reacting correctly. How crazy is that?

Leiby Kletzky stood in front of a video camera and WAITED for the killer to come back! How's THAT for doing as you're told?

Parents always want to do the kid's thinking for them, often well into the teenage years (sometimes even into adulthood!). Then a kid hits 18 and they are in free-fall with no direction.

Parents don't encourage kids to think things out. Everything is knee-jerk, quick-fix, instant-result thinking.

Parents don't want their kids to make mistakes. How else are they going to learn cause-and-effect? Let them make their mistakes -- they'll learn more and faster than from you just telling them.

And I don't mean that parents should let their kids run wild. KIDS NEED TO BE TAUGHT. They need to be taught behavior that will mesh with the rest of society, but they also need to learn how not to put themselves in danger. They need to learn that there are repercussions to behavior, both good and bad. They need to learn that decision-making is an important part of life, and bad decisions tend to have bad outcomes. It's called Real Life.

But the number of children who have some manners and who have been actually taught to think are very few and far between. How could it be different when they were raised by idiots? But the good ones certainly stand out like gold coins when you run across them!

I ran across this just the other day: Permissive Parents: Curb Your Brats

Sue