I think this is my least favorite commercial in the world.
And I don't just hate this commercial because now I know that they make skinny jeans for small children. I hate this commercial because it reminds me that so many parents want their kid's approval more than then want their respect. Now of course this is coming from someone who doesn't have any children, so what do I know? But I do spend a lot of my time 10 months out of the year with other people's children, so shouldn't that buy me just a little credibility? You're right...probably not, but I'm going to keep going anyway.
"Just because you're a parent doesn't mean you have to be lame."
I couldn't disagree more. It seems like as a parent, it is your responsibility to be lame. Growing up, my brother and I had parking spots for our bikes in the garage. I don't just mean that we had a place in general where we usually left our bikes. We literally had parking spots. My dad had taken duct-tape and squared off a small section in between the doors of our two-car garage, and my brother and I had to park our bikes within those parameters. If we didn't park our bikes correctly, we could be hit with a parking citation which would be accompanied by a fee that was subtracted by our weekly allowances. That's pretty lame but ask me how many times my bike was stolen or how many times it got left out in the rain. As you can imagine, we learned pretty quickly to park our bikes where they were supposed to be parked. If we left our lights on when we weren't in our bedrooms after being reminded to turn our lights out, my parents would take the bulbs out of the fixtures for a few days. Once again this was another lame move but ask me how many times I eventually had to be reminded to turn my lights out. If we couldn't get off the phone when we were supposed to, phone privileges (or cords) were take away. I think you get the idea. My parents were too busy trying to make sure that my brother and I respected them to be worried about whether or not we thought they were cool.
My parents' lameness didn't just teach me to respect them; it also gave me a lot of character. Their rules (that they weren't afraid to enforce because they knew they were my parents, not my BFFs-OMG) taught me patience and conscientiousness. They taught me that everyone has to do their part and that things won't just be handed to me. They instilled a strong work ethic. If I was ever caught doing something I knew I wasn't supposed to do, I had to explain to my parents why I did it anyway. This was always so uncomfortable but it taught me the importance of reflection...and since I did respect my parents so much, it always made me feel like a complete ass-hat in the process which made me never want to get in trouble again.
The best part about my parents being so lame when I was younger is that now I can be friends with them. They raised me to be the type of person that they would want to be friends with which wasn't always the easiest thing to do I'm sure. And that's so much cooler than any car they could have bought...I spent a good part of my childhood in a burgundy Taurus station wagon whose interior upholstery matched the exterior paint exactly. And I turned out okay.
And I don't just hate this commercial because now I know that they make skinny jeans for small children. I hate this commercial because it reminds me that so many parents want their kid's approval more than then want their respect. Now of course this is coming from someone who doesn't have any children, so what do I know? But I do spend a lot of my time 10 months out of the year with other people's children, so shouldn't that buy me just a little credibility? You're right...probably not, but I'm going to keep going anyway.
"Just because you're a parent doesn't mean you have to be lame."
I couldn't disagree more. It seems like as a parent, it is your responsibility to be lame. Growing up, my brother and I had parking spots for our bikes in the garage. I don't just mean that we had a place in general where we usually left our bikes. We literally had parking spots. My dad had taken duct-tape and squared off a small section in between the doors of our two-car garage, and my brother and I had to park our bikes within those parameters. If we didn't park our bikes correctly, we could be hit with a parking citation which would be accompanied by a fee that was subtracted by our weekly allowances. That's pretty lame but ask me how many times my bike was stolen or how many times it got left out in the rain. As you can imagine, we learned pretty quickly to park our bikes where they were supposed to be parked. If we left our lights on when we weren't in our bedrooms after being reminded to turn our lights out, my parents would take the bulbs out of the fixtures for a few days. Once again this was another lame move but ask me how many times I eventually had to be reminded to turn my lights out. If we couldn't get off the phone when we were supposed to, phone privileges (or cords) were take away. I think you get the idea. My parents were too busy trying to make sure that my brother and I respected them to be worried about whether or not we thought they were cool.
My parents' lameness didn't just teach me to respect them; it also gave me a lot of character. Their rules (that they weren't afraid to enforce because they knew they were my parents, not my BFFs-OMG) taught me patience and conscientiousness. They taught me that everyone has to do their part and that things won't just be handed to me. They instilled a strong work ethic. If I was ever caught doing something I knew I wasn't supposed to do, I had to explain to my parents why I did it anyway. This was always so uncomfortable but it taught me the importance of reflection...and since I did respect my parents so much, it always made me feel like a complete ass-hat in the process which made me never want to get in trouble again.
The best part about my parents being so lame when I was younger is that now I can be friends with them. They raised me to be the type of person that they would want to be friends with which wasn't always the easiest thing to do I'm sure. And that's so much cooler than any car they could have bought...I spent a good part of my childhood in a burgundy Taurus station wagon whose interior upholstery matched the exterior paint exactly. And I turned out okay.
Wonderful!! You got it right. Parents who take the time to enforce a few things, just enough for their kids to realize responsibility, are awesome!
ReplyDeleteAmen! Amen! As a parent and one who spends hours each week with other peoples kids I soooo believe this too. Yes I am a lame parent and a lame teacher most of the time. Crazy thing is most of my students come back for more of my classes each year. Hoping my little one will come back to be my friend one day too!
ReplyDeleteLoving your blog by the way - sooo miss your unique personality!