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Evening Open Thread | 234 comments (234 topical)
We have similar philosophies (none / 0) (#130)
by stillife on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 08:05:10 PM EST
and guess what? My kids, ages 22 and 18, are also Clinton supporters.

I was a weird hybrid of permissive and strict.  When they would ask me irritating questions, I would always say, "How the h** should I know?"  My son, at the age of 10, did an excellent Forrest Gump impression saying, "My mom always said to me, 'How the h** should I know?'"

Somebody should get a research grant and do a study.

Maybe I'm a bad mom, but I have two good kids.  :)

[ Parent ]

Bad mom club (none / 0) (#140)
by Stellaaa on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 08:15:17 PM EST
We had a bad mom club.  It was great.  Man, the level of micromanagement that was expected and is expected in raising kids--I don't have the stomach for it.  

[ Parent ]
No wonder many of them are so infantile (5.00 / 1) (#144)
by MarkL on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 08:18:05 PM EST
at 18.

[ Parent ]
it's ridiculous (5.00 / 2) (#160)
by stillife on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 08:33:42 PM EST
and it's probably gotten worse in the 15 years or so since my kids were little.  I raised my kids in the super-liberal, diverse neighborhood of Park Slope, Brooklyn, where parents would say "Maggie doesn't feel like sharing right now" when their kid was being a brat.  My favorite anecdote from back then was when I took my son to a kids' shoe store.  A 2-year-old was pitching a fit and his mom was trying to "reason" with him, saying, "What is the issue here, Elliott?" Needless to say, more screams ensued.  

Like I said, I was not a strict parent. Never hit my kids, I'm not an authoritarian, but I believe that parents should guide the children and not the other way around.

Which one reason why I have contempt for those silly politicians who say they are supporting Obama b/c their kids told them too.  B**, please!  I went to peace marches in the 60's.  I lived thru the Dem Convention in '68, though I was very young.  The most important lesson I've learned in life is to think for yourself and distrust authority.  I hope I've passed that on to my kids.

[ Parent ]

My moment of losing it (none / 0) (#169)
by Stellaaa on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 08:41:34 PM EST
I was PTA president in a public school that was what shall I say, in transition.   One of the new moms thought that recess was a real mess and her son was not getting picked to play in any of the teams by the other kids.  She thought we should have structured recess.  I lost it.  I went off:  your son has and will have every advantage in life and you now want to stack it for him in recess?  The whole idea of recess is that kids get to have 10 minutes of free from adult structure time.  

I always thought it was fine for a kid to fail a class, they learn that it's not the end of the world and that it happens to all of us.  

[ Parent ]

A schoolteacher friend of mine (none / 0) (#178)
by Kathy on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 08:58:15 PM EST
had to deal with a parent who wanted the school resources officer to interview other kids she thought were stealing her kid's fried okra at lunch.  When my friend balked, the woman said she would pay for a private detective.

I kid you not.

Hey, them thar flashing ads for books.  Do you guys ever click through on them?  I'm just curious.  I really enjoyed that Linda Fairstein that was advertised a week or so ago.

[ Parent ]

Another Park Sloper (none / 0) (#172)
by honora on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 08:51:02 PM EST
I was ready to say something mean to MarkL for dissing Stillife and Stellaaa, then Stillife said that she raise her family in Park Slope.  I lived on Carroll Street from birth until 13--it is still my 'spiritual home'. The Brooklyn Dodgers left the month that I was born, I still take it personally.

 This thread makes me sooo homesick, first TJ moving to Brooklyn, now this.  I have to go compose myself.

[ Parent ]

That's so funny! (none / 0) (#190)
by gyrfalcon on Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 09:08:16 PM EST
Saw a similar scene in an ice cream place once, where the mom was reading off the list of 20-plus ice cream flavors and asking the toddler which one he wanted.  All the toddler could do in the face of too much information was start to scream and wail.  Poor guy.  He just wanted some ice cream!

Man, you remember how our generation was supposed to have been raised by such "permissive" parents.  LOL!

[ Parent ]

Evening Open Thread | 234 comments (234 topical)

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