This is the collaborative journal of W.C. Chambers and J.R. Bowman. Read. Wonder. Reply. Thanks for stopping by.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005,4:34 PM
Parental Control
When I say "Parental Control" what is it you think of? Do you think about parents monitoring what their children view, what video games they play, what movies they watch, and what internet sites they visit? In the shallowest of senses, yes, this is what I am talking about. But there are responsibilities of being a parent that extend far beyond this simple definition. What I want to address is that there are far too many kids running amok in our supermarkets, movie theatres, and resturants with parents who don't know how to control thier children. Parental Control means that the parent is the dominant figure in the child/caregiver role. It is the dominant figure who makes the rules and expects others (in this case the children) to submit to the rules unquestionably.
I am aware at this point that I may sound overbearing, that I as a parent would be very authoritarian but allow me to explain. Children need rules, they need boundries, and most importantly they need to know why these rules and boundries are in place. So you see I am actually authoritative. Strict but fair. However, disciplinary styles aside, there are plenty of adults out there who are neither strict nor fair with themselves. I emphasize with themselves because this is the first type of parental control. In order to control others one must first learn to control themself. What I constantly run into on the streets are parents who feel the need to take thier children to a movie (not a kids movie, because that would be fine, but an adult movie) or to the theatre, or to a fancy resturant. Here, those children make it thier goal to ruin the evening of everyone around them. They run around knocking on the backs of chairs, throwing food, screaming at the top of thier lungs, the list goes on. If you cannot find a babysitter then stay at home! Please, I do not need to be watching a movie and feel my chair being kicked every half second, nor do I need for a whiny brat to be screaming his head off just because he can't get a $1 cheeseburger when I'm trying to enjoy my $40 filet portafino!
Ok, that makes me sound like a snob. I am not a snob, it's just that $40 is alot of money to me and when I get the nerve up to spend a fortune on an evening I expect it to go perfectly. So parents show some self-control and DO NOT take your kids out with you. I'll say this again, if you can't get a babysitter then stay at home!
The second step at parental control is control over your children. I'm not talking about what they see or hear but rather how they act. I wouldn't have a problem with children in a theatre or at a resturant if those children were well behaved. Don't assume your children will be little angels. Just because they're kids people like to put them into some kind of moral no-man's land. I'm reminded of a cartoon in the New Yorker where a puppy is before a judge and the judge says "not guilty because puppies do these things". Puppies are amoral animals, people are not! So have some control over your children. Even the most retarded dog learns not to pee on the carpet so the next time I see your four year old pissing himself in public I'm going to take the closest, bluntest object and beat you with it!
The third, and final, type of parental control is control of consumption. Not just what your child see's and hears but also what your child eats and drinks. Listen, kids are getting fatter and fatter and people blame the fast food industry but it isn't the fast food industries fault. It's the parents fault if thier child is obese. Here's an idea! Instead of monitoring what kind of video game your child plays how about also monitoring how long they play the game? One can be gluttonous with more than food you know.
I am aware at this point that I may sound overbearing, that I as a parent would be very authoritarian but allow me to explain. Children need rules, they need boundries, and most importantly they need to know why these rules and boundries are in place. So you see I am actually authoritative. Strict but fair. However, disciplinary styles aside, there are plenty of adults out there who are neither strict nor fair with themselves. I emphasize with themselves because this is the first type of parental control. In order to control others one must first learn to control themself. What I constantly run into on the streets are parents who feel the need to take thier children to a movie (not a kids movie, because that would be fine, but an adult movie) or to the theatre, or to a fancy resturant. Here, those children make it thier goal to ruin the evening of everyone around them. They run around knocking on the backs of chairs, throwing food, screaming at the top of thier lungs, the list goes on. If you cannot find a babysitter then stay at home! Please, I do not need to be watching a movie and feel my chair being kicked every half second, nor do I need for a whiny brat to be screaming his head off just because he can't get a $1 cheeseburger when I'm trying to enjoy my $40 filet portafino!
Ok, that makes me sound like a snob. I am not a snob, it's just that $40 is alot of money to me and when I get the nerve up to spend a fortune on an evening I expect it to go perfectly. So parents show some self-control and DO NOT take your kids out with you. I'll say this again, if you can't get a babysitter then stay at home!
The second step at parental control is control over your children. I'm not talking about what they see or hear but rather how they act. I wouldn't have a problem with children in a theatre or at a resturant if those children were well behaved. Don't assume your children will be little angels. Just because they're kids people like to put them into some kind of moral no-man's land. I'm reminded of a cartoon in the New Yorker where a puppy is before a judge and the judge says "not guilty because puppies do these things". Puppies are amoral animals, people are not! So have some control over your children. Even the most retarded dog learns not to pee on the carpet so the next time I see your four year old pissing himself in public I'm going to take the closest, bluntest object and beat you with it!
The third, and final, type of parental control is control of consumption. Not just what your child see's and hears but also what your child eats and drinks. Listen, kids are getting fatter and fatter and people blame the fast food industry but it isn't the fast food industries fault. It's the parents fault if thier child is obese. Here's an idea! Instead of monitoring what kind of video game your child plays how about also monitoring how long they play the game? One can be gluttonous with more than food you know.
