Just an observation

The last few days I have been hanging around the boys classrooms. I make it a point to go up to school at least two days a week. Usually I just help out here and there hang out with the boys and Cindy before I have to go to work. It keeps me connected to what they are doing and their life outside of our house. Plus it's fun.

This last few days, not so much fun. The boys were fine. It was the things I noticed that made it crappy. Turns out there are a lot more shit head parents in this world than I thought. The kicker is they are all right around my age now. Which leads me to believe that my generation is chock full of failures as parents. I'm not a perfect parent by any means. I screw up probably on a daily basis. The difference between me and them is, I correct my mistakes instead of passively letting them happen over and over again. Here are a few examples of shit parenting I saw just this week.

- A five year old boy who weighs about 15lbs. He will be in Kindergarten next year. Malnourished beyond belief.

- A four year old who constantly smells like an ashtray. I mean, his clothes, hair, backpack, everything. There must be constant smoke blown at this little dude.

- A four year old who is physically abusive to other kids. Not like, he might push or slap...I mean he will punch with intent to hurt, drag kids around by the collar of their shirt, kick them in the face, throw them down...you name it. Other little kids are afraid to be around him. Four years old.

- A six year old so used to being in trouble that a part of his daily routine is to act out to the point that his Mom will have to come pick him up. When she picks him up, there is no consequence. She barely says a word to him.

- A five year old who was a sweet innocent person last year, has turned mean and hateful after her parent's divorce earlier this year. Not only did her parents divorce, they split her apart from her twin sister just when she needs her the most.

These are just a few and there are many more. There are certainly kids in Cindy's own class I could talk about, but I don't want to get her in trouble. What the hell is going on? Who are we? This kind of stuff is becoming part of the normal accepted behavior for kids and adults. The thing is, what are we to do? Can I call CPS? I could, but they are powerless to do anything unless I prove a kid is being abused. Should I get in a parents face? Maybe. Then I might cause repercussions for my wife. Having your hands tied is not a place I like to be.

Kids are an afterthought for a lot of people. Here is the thing folks. When you become a parent...it stops being about YOU. It is about THEM. You had your shot to live it up and party like a rockstar. That shit is over. Grow up. These little people are here to replace us. Pretty soon we are going to look around and be scared of what we created.