posted on January 28, 2004 08:32:41 PM new
Well, bless you for your opinion, Profe! I grew up in less than ideal circumstances ( -I suppose we all feel that way) and while I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments regarding family involvement in raising children, I'm also aware -- from personal experience-- that school is sometimes the most stable environment a child encounters. Perhaps if I'd been taught self-defense and physical pride at an early age I would've been able to do more than sit idly on the livingroom sofa while my father straddled my mom with a butcher knife. At least I might have known how to call for help...
posted on January 28, 2004 08:58:50 PM new
Well Prof tell me how your idea of being a good parent goes along with my ideas in the "It's the economy stupid" thread.
In a world where simple survival was less of a concern would people actually use their time for important things like raising their kids or would the kids run wild while the parents drank cheap wine and watched TV?
posted on January 29, 2004 04:44:40 AM new
plsmith: I'm not suggesting we shouldn't teach our kids to defend themselves and their loved ones. I'm only saying there might be less need for it if families spent more time together, and more parents took a proactive role in their kid's activities.
gravid: I'm not sure how my opinion of parenting fits with your suggestion in the other thread. At my school, more than 85% of the students qualify for the federal free or reduced price lunch program. That means they're pretty low on the economic pole. In that group of families, you'll still find a wide range of parenting going on. Many of those kids are from single parent households, usually it's the father who's absent. Mom works a lot to make ends meet. Some of those moms go the extra mile to make sure their kids have a safe place to go and things to do after school and on weekends, and others leave their kids to fend for themselves. Other families in this group are in it because one parent, usually mom, has chosen to stay home and parent. In the families of kids who don't fall into the free lunch category, you'll find the same range of dedication to parenting. It's obviously more difficult these days for parents to spend time with their kids and know what they're up to all the time, but in my experience, any parent who wants to, still can, regardless of their financial situation.
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Mi abuelita me dijo "en boca cerrada no entran moscas".
[ edited by profe51 on Jan 29, 2004 04:45 AM ]
