Comments on: Parents, you continue to be unnecessary

By: Marguerite

Marguerite — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:20:47 +0000

‘Even worse, there might be a great deal of unpleasantness and unhappiness around that home for months. How easy to avoid all that by simply sneaking around it!’

Right on, Mike Devx! You have to trust yourself enough as a parent to ride out childhood tantrums. In high school our daughter’s grades were falling semester by semester and she was cutting classes and hanging around w/another class cutter. We told her if her grades fell below a 2.0 (she’s very bright, so we weren’t expecting miracles) we would be enrolling her at a private school. They did, and we did. Was she angry w/us?! Was there unpleasantness? OMG! I can still hear the pleadings and screams that went on for seemingly hours as we sat in front of the school on the day she enrolled and I thought my heart would break before we were arrested for child abuse.

It goes back to libs always thinking that no one should suffer any anxiety, loss, or unpleasantness – hence their multitudinous programs to cause us all to pay for everyone’s mistakes.

By: Synova

Synova — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 05:33:55 +0000

She probably does expect them to come to her but doesn’t want to be the sort of parent who claims their kids don’t have secrets. Even if it’s true, no one believes you. Instead they automatically put you in the “delusional parent” category.

This despite all the “parents and kids talking together” stuff that supposed to be assumed for good parenting.

She doesn’t expect to have the problem.

She expects her child to come to her.

This program is for *other people’s children*.

Oh, the answer?

HOMESCHOOL.

By: Mike Devx

Mike Devx — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 04:00:57 +0000

The article says:
“I’m personally fine with it, but I know some parents might not be,” said Jennifer Southard, wife of City Councilor Edward Suslovic, who has two daughters at King. “I think information and access are good things. I would hope my children would come to me, but some students might not have that option.”

I always enjoy the slippery slope of language. Let’s take a closer look.

“I would hope my children would come to me, …”

Notice that she wouldn’t *expect* them to. Nor did she indicate that she would be disappointed if they didn’t. She wouldn’t be particularly upset at what her children were doing, nor that it would be hidden from her.

“… but some students might not have that option.”

The students might not “have that option”. My word! Why not!?! Have their parents been kidnapped by evil trolls and are no longer accessible? Are their parents Gone On Safari and are therefore unreachable by cell phone? Whatever is she speaking of? Think, think, think… oh, I’ve got it. Those parents would be ANGRY.. The child fears discussing the unpleasant truth with them. The child might even feel shame. And a child feeling shame would be simply too terrible a thing to contemplate. Even worse, there might be a great deal of unpleasantness and unhappiness around that home for months. How easy to avoid all that by simply sneaking around it!

These are not trivial oversights by Mrs. Southard; they’re not things she meant to say but didn’t say them correctly. I’m not misconstruing her. She said exactly what she meant.