Observational Remarks - rugrats

As captioned by the Globe, Cookie is "a new irreverent lifestyle magazine, positions parenting as the latest in leisure activities for the in crowd."



Parenting as a leisure activity? Interestingly in the same issue, the Globe noted the expanding media coverage on the seemingly increased occurrences of loathsome behaviour amongst children. The Globe asked their readers if they think "the kids are ruder than ever" (Focus Section, F8, 12.3.05) and they responded in droves with unsavory stories.

In the Dec. 2005 issue of Details, there is an article by John Sellers titled "No one cares what your kid said today" where he discuss the unsavory transformation of parental pride crossing from justified acknowledgement to loss-of-perspective annoyance. He blames the bragging that parents do as " a direct result of parents' not getting out very much. The adoring adults are trying to prove that their lives, far from being the sad and boring prison terms that outsiders might imagine, are actually packed with excitement and hilarity because they're spending all this time conversing with a highly intelligent human being. Unfortunately, this two-foot-tall Einstein can't speak in complete sentences."

All this relentless adoring attention paid to children, all this automatic move of putting kids on a pedestal without questioning if that particular kid deserves it, gives children a false sense of entitlement. They will forget the difference between right and privilege in many areas of their lives and continue to expect adoration despite whatever antics they get into. "No, little girl. You prancing up and down the aisle of a packed 747, giggling and seeking attention from strangers during darkened sleep time of a long-haul flight is NOT CUTE. See the little boy over there who quietly finished his meal and now is resting with his picture book with little squirming in his seat? Now THAT'S admirable."

A friend of mine observed that "contemporary North American parenting tends to have more of a focus on allowing children to discover, on their own, the norms of the world in order for them to decide which ones they want to adhere to, and which ones they don't. Which is sort of dangerously post-modern, in my opinion, when it gets to the point where discipline is pre-empted for some skewed form of individuality." Yes, someone please tell that to little Suzie's beaming mom, as Suzie's need to assert her individuality is actually disrupting whatever comfort that can be mustered from the 32 inchs of space allotted to me.

But hey, what do I know? I don't have kids and I was a perfectly behaved child out of my own volition. I know it's true because it gets pointed out in astonishment to compare with the moments of bitchiness exuded in my adulthood.