Saturday, November 15, 2008

Wow

I sometimes wonder if these maniacal reactions we see from people, when they're faced with disappointment, really are an indication of some sort of mental disability, or just another sign that we're doing a really lousy job raising our offspring.

When people aren't equipped to handle situations, they either fight or flee. Maybe we can add "totally freak out" to the occasion. There have been a slew of movies like "Fatal Attraction" the past few years, but they don't have the same appeal or attraction because a lot of us know people like that. Still scary, just not so unusual.

They had a series of raffle drawings for the kids the other night at my church. Just pulling tickets for a bunch of toys, etc, no big. But when they finished and announced the last prize, I saw three different examples of just what I'm talking about. There was one boy, big enough to know better, who absolutely threw a fit because he hadn't won anything. He began flinging the folding chairs as he stormed out of the gym. Another girl, also big enough to know better, began to scream and cry that she "wanted something", refused to leave or quiet down, and essentially had to be dragged out by he mother. The last one was another boy who was a little young, so I'm going to pass on that one. Future psycho will suffice.

Life disappoints sometimes. We don't always get first prize. It might be a good idea to stop the BS of the last 20 years and start informing our little charmers that no, not everyone wins every times. It sounds like common-sense thinking, but I'm starting to believe common sense isn't so common anymore.

The "better" we get as people, the worse off we seem to be. Unrealistic expectations only increase the bad feelings that come about when disappointment hits. Soft-soaping, sugar-coating, rationalizing, it all sucks in my opinion, because the first time these charmers get hit, they're down for the count, and it's up to the rest of us to pick up the slack.

That's ungood, to say the least, huh?

13 comments:

  1. So very true. Love the tag "moronism". *chuckle*

    LORI

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with you to a point. Actually, if there is no disability involved, I agree with you completely.

    The problem is, so many kids anymore have ADHD, autism, bipolar disorder...and to look at them, you'd never know.

    Parker is a perfectly normal looking, even handsome, little boy. Looking at him, you'd never know his insides are a mess and his nervous system is haywire.

    I can't tell you how many times I've been smarted off to because I have a son with autism. A son who doesn't always react the way people expect him to. Some of the things we've went through in public have been downright horrible.

    My point is...the surface can often be deceiving. What appears calm and tranquil and 'normal' on the outside, may be quite turbulent and chaotic on the inside.

    Just sayin'..... ;)

    Not that I'm making excuses for neurotypical kids who are simply bratty heathons and whose parents refuse to discipline them....that's just wrong.

    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
  3. Parenting takes skills that many people are just not equipped to take on. Some coddle their kids, some give them everything they want whenever they want it, and some believe in total tough love. I believe there is a good in between, a happy medium, and I do hope that I won't be in the catagory of moms that you describe above. : ) Hope you have a happy Sunday JP. Luv ya!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jimmy,
    Try spending a day working at a high school. You would be shocked at the way these kids are actually being taught to act this way. They know all about what they can "legally" get away with these days and they take full advantage. We are producing a society of idiots! It scares the hell out of me that these are the people who will be running our world when we're too old to do anything about it! Be afraid, be very afraid! ::sigh::

    ReplyDelete
  5. I see kids act like this in the UK too, in my day we would have had a swift clip round the ear, that would shut em up!
    Glad to be back reading your blog by the way ;-)
    Gaz

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've seen way to many a parent 'make good' with their child... so much so that now they expect to get something for nothing each and every time. Have we taken PC too far? Not sure but I've seen this happen over and over again and several times hear Mom, 'we'll stop on the way home' GRRRRRRRR

    ReplyDelete
  7. One of my friends has absolute hell every time she takes her kids to the supermarket. They do nothing but run around looking at stuff and then run back to beg her for it. They always get something and never have to spend their own money to get it. On one of these trips I asked her why she didn't just say no to them. Her response was to give me an incredulous expression and say sarcastically, 'oh sure, then they'll be screaming in the supermarket - yeah that'll be better'.

    I just couldn't believe that she couldn't see that she'd created a rod for her own back and that the only way to deal with it was to say no, no matter what. In fact, had the choice been mine, I would have said no to them, even if I'd originally intended to say yes, just based on their rudeness and bad behaviour.

    Bridgett: there are genuine disabilities that cause behavioural problems, but the behaviour Jimmy is describing is usually about bad parenting and kids who have unrealistic expectations as a result. I know at least three kids who are textbook ADHD and only one of them would have acted that way - and it is a clear result of being spoilt rotten. I realise that sometimes allowances should be made, but I also think you have to be careful not to blame the disability too quickly. Sometimes it's not what's causing the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is very sad to see how so many kids are raised today. A little discipline, and the word No, go a long way.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I believe it all has to do with the way the kids are being raised these days. Enjoy your week coming up!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I totally agree!!! Linda

    ReplyDelete
  11. But everyone is a winner Jimmy! Yay, you got first prize! Yeah you fell over about five times, stopped for a minute to eat a snickers, curled up took a nap, and we had to come find you and you never actually crossed the finish line, but YAY!

    ::growl::

    When everyone wins, we all lose.

    When everyone is special, no one is.

    Yippee for "equality."

    ReplyDelete
  12. My friend's daughter hs track team came in fourth for the entire state. The coach, the girls and most of the parents were devastated. I congratulated each girl for their wonderful accomplishment, and all they could do was cry. I wanted to slap each one, you know, give them something to cry about. Im still shaking my head.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Unfortunately kids today have entitlement issues. The parents are completely to blame for this. As a parent I am working hard to explain to G that things are tough and he will not get everything he wants even if we can provide it. It is hard though because of course you want to give your kids everything.
    xx
    lyb!

    ReplyDelete

I love comments. I won't lie about that!