Monday, May 15, 2006

Fuck Dr. Phil. I'm a Schmuleyphile!

Anyone else out there obsessed with Shalom in the Home? I so am. Rabbi Schmuley kicks ass!

I think I love the show because it confirms most of my notions about Boomer (or is it just Yuppie?) parents. I know, I know, it's a gross generalization. But check out True Ancestor, who has written a very nice post on the subject of "Helicopter Parenting" today. And I must say, by the way, that TA is most certainly NOT guilty of being that kind of parent.

I continually amazed by the behavior of parents that I've witnessed in the past 15 years or so. It's overprotective, and yet criminally negligent at the same time. They make their kids wear helmets to tie their shoes, but they let them run unchecked through restaurants, stores, museums, beaches, theatres, etc. The only explanation I can find for this is that they believe it is everyone else's job to look after their children as well, and of course why wouldn't we want to, because little McKenzie is just so gifted and special and precious.

I think a lot of parents are just plain selfish. They won’t leave the restaurant when their children misbehave, even though they keep threatening to, because, well, they want to stay. They won’t enforce rules because they want their children to love and understand them instead of obey and respect them. Hey, you want love and understanding? That’s what your spouse is for. Those children are there to be raised up right and to become what you call your fine, upstanding citizens. So please, enforce a little discipline and save us all a couple hundred thou on your child’s later incarceration, please?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Babe.

Love that Schumley.

Anonymous said...

Haven't seem Schumley but, if he's in agreement with this post then I'll definitely be checking him out.

And don't even get me started on kids in Starbucks...!

vikkitikkitavi said...

When I first moved to LA, I had to work at a Starbucks. Those yuppie parents treat you like the own personal hired help. Like their walking in the door has thereby enlisted you to watch and clean up after their children. It's disgusting. They'll give a kid some goddamn muffin that he doesn't even want, and then sit idly by while the kid shreds it and throws it on the floor.

I hate to be one of those "in my day" type of people, but my mom would have seriously smacked my shit if I'd done something like that.

Also, I worked in a restaurant where this dude was letting his son just run all over. We asked him several times to control him, but he just shrugged. So the kid ran smack into a waiter with a giant loaded tray, and the waiter actually had the presence of mind, while he was falling, to aim the tray into the wall so the dishes wouldn't fall on the kid's head. One bread plate did hit him above the eye, though, and the next day we received a photo of the kid's and face from his dad and notice that we were being sued.

He was outraged that we were running a restaurant that endangered children.