Where my village?
Being a parent today is hard. I believe hard is even an understatement. Things are truly different from when I was growing up. I remember going outside and literally being outside until the street lights came on. We were afraid to go inside to use the bathroom in fear of being told we had to stay in. I see some parents today begging their kids to go outside and have fun. Our kids are consumed by cell phones, tablets and video games. Back in the day it was all about bikes, skates and games like hide and seek and my favorite red light, green light. Those were the good ole days. You were forced to behave because you knew you could get it from ANY adult. Not just your parents. Every adult was respected and they better not of had to tell yo mama you were cutting up, double butt whoopings or punishments! Times are so different now and some parents dare other adults to tell their children anything. I encourage the correction of others onto my kids. If my child is acting up and I don't see it or dont say anything please say something. The last thing I want is my child walking around thinking they can do any and everything they are bad enough to do.
Recently in Walmart, my son was treating the shopping cart as if it were a jungle gym at the park. He was climbing onto the basket repeatedly and jumping off. A disaster just waiting to happen. Bad enough I'm fighting my anxiety and the fear of just being overwhelmed in Walmart and now this. My constant yells of "stop that son, you're gonna hurt yourself ," were obviously being ignored. Yet, I continue to say it. We are in walmart so of course something else grabs my attention and then the phone rings. I turn my back for literally two seconds and I hear "baby dont climb on the basket, you can really hurt yourself." I immediately turn around and there's this older woman with complete disgust on her face because I'm not watching my child. I wanted to ball and cry. My anxiety is at 100 now because not only am in in walmart, my child isn't listening and now I look like a complete neglectful mom. "This is too much," I say to myself, but aloud I say as calmly as I can thank you so much, I kept telling him to stop but he won't listen." I go on to tell her how I only turned away for a second, trying to convince her I'm not a horrible mother. Her reply catches me by surprise. I didn't know she had been watching us for awhile and saw my many attempts to get my son to stop. She noticed I had turned for a moment and took her opportunity to intervene, hoping she'd get through to him. She goes on to tell me how reluctant she was to say anything because she'd been cursed out by another mom in a supermarket for saying something to her child. I assured her that it was perfectly fine. "It takes a village," I exclaimed. She just smiled at me and continued with her shopping.
This incident made me think about the "good ole days." I come from a time where you were afraid to misbehave in any adults presence because not only would they tell your parents but they'd get in your behind as well. Those times are long gone, but I couldn't help but wonder how someone could curse someone out for speaking the truth to a child who's doing something they shouldn't. I really believe it takes a village to raise children. Parents can't do it alone. It's good to know that we have others looking out for the well being of our kids. Or am I crazy or something? We wonder why this generation is so disrespectful, but we fail to understand the part we as parents have played into it. This society is nothing like when I was a child. Respect was something of value and you had no choice but to give it. I hear way too many parents telling their kids they don't have to listen to anyone but them. What happened to the village?
What are your thought? How do you feel about strangers correcting your children?
