Parents Behaving Badly

Ever since becoming a parent, I've found myself morbidly fascinated by news stories chronicling the latest examples of bad parenting. It's amazing to me how some people can be such bad parents. Whether its exposing their children to extreme risks or just being completely irresponsible and ignorant, these parents often make me seriously question the human race. I get so angry reading these stories. I shake my fists in fury and curse these bad parents. But more than anything else, my heart goes out to these kids who have the misfortune of beng born to idiot parents.

I'm not sure what makes these stories so compelling. Part of it may be the tragic nature that drives mainstream news. Part of it may be because these stories make me feel good about my skills as a parent. But I think a large part of the appeal is that, since becoming a parent, I'm more attuned to ANYTHING involving kids. I'm hooked on the uplifting stories as well. So maybe it's all just a case of taking the bad with the good.

I've spoken to other parents about this before and it seems I'm not alone. But thankfully, the ever-reliable (and my daddy blog guru) Jay of Zero Boss fame has started a new blog to chronicle all the latest cases of bad parenting. Go there and check out the dark underbelly of parenting life...

PARENTS BEHAVING BADLY

Comments

[Stacy]

Hey, that just DEPRESSED THE LIVING FUCK OUT OF ME. Thanks, MD!

On the other hand, I now look like a candidate for 'Mother of the Year'.

[Matthew]

I work for the YMCA and I have to deal with parents all of the time. I have decided that my work life would be infinitely better if parents weren't allowed to get in the picture.

The sad part is that I sometimes have to excuse a child from the program because a parent is intolerable. I often struggle with these decisions as I know we might be the best chance this child has.

I'm reminded of Keanu Reave's character in the movie Parenthood. He says (paraphrasing here)

"You need a license to fish, you need a license to drive, you even need a license to have a dog. But they let any old buttfuck be a parent."

[ShotgunDaddy]

I'm right there with you, MetroDad. I think the problem is that your perspective changes completely once you have children. What really gets to me are the children without parents, whether they're unwanted little girls in China, AIDS orphans in Africa, or civil war victims in Eastern Europe.

Before I had children, I'd see these stories and be upset from a humanistic perspective, but to be honest, the reality of the situation didn't really hit me. As a parent, my first thoughts are now of MY children. What if it were my infant daughter left dying in a Chinese gutter, simply because she wasn't a boy? What if it were my boy crying for hours with no human contact in a filthy Russian orphanage, wearing nothing but an unchanged diaper? And what if my five-year-old daughter suddenly became the head of the household after her parents died of AIDS?

Once you hold your child in your arms and stare into its trusting eyes, knowing that you're cradling the most precious gift in the world, you can never again dismiss the plight of children who aren't loved or hide your scorn for parents who don't appreciate such blessings.

Sorry for rambling. Just wanted you to know that you're not alone in feeling this way.

[sara]

Mostly children bring out the best in us. Very sad to read that this kind of stuff happens enough that it warrants a blog.

[Brent]

I share the same morbid fascination with these news stories. They kill me! Every time I hear one, I grab and hug my daughter just a little bit tighter.

[landismom]

I'm with sara--it's depressing that there's enough of this kind of thing going on to warrant a blog.

Although my reaction, on reading these kinds of stories in my local paper, is to wonder what it is that separates me from these parents? What drives someone to do things like these?

[Alyssa]

One day, maybe there will be so many happy and uplifting stories about kids that someone can start a blog about that!

[Stephen]

Aaarrrgh! When you read stories like that, don't you just want to strangle those parents? Makes my blood boil to hear these stories about kids who got screwed over in the gene pool lottery. They deserve so much better.

[Queen of Ass]

It's like watching a car wreck. Too awful not to rubberneck about.

[misfithausfrau]

Well, guess this makes me feel so much better about my parenting skills (or lack thereof). So what if I didn't bathe her for a week?! At least I didn't pimp her out! UGH!

[Philip]

As far as becoming "attuned to everything child-related" just wait...soon you'll find yourself tearing up over those sappy commercials with kids in them even though *you know it's sappy!*

The stories about bad-parenting are also compelling because you can learn from them. Sometimes simple mistakes steamroll into terrible tragedies. And you think to yourself, okay be sure to watch out for such and such...

[soapbox.SUPERSTAR]

I LOVE IT!

They should make you take a test or something...