Scenario 1-
There was a story out of VA of a 7 year old boy getting shot in the back by his 10 year old brother while hunting with their father. The 7 year old had a pellet gun & the 10 year old had a shotgun. A 10 year old with a shot gun? Is that too young? The 7 year old walked into the path of the 10 year old's shot supposedly.
Scenario 2-
Gwen Stefani and her 4 year old son were seen getting mani-pedis. The little boy had colorful polish on his hands AND feet. Did he ask for this? Is it ok to allow it? Was this mom's idea?
Scenario 3-
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt wants to be a boy. She's 4 years old & demands to be called John. Is this just a phase? Is she too young to be obliged?
How young is too young for children to be exposed to things? How young is too young for children to be able to make their own decisions about some things?
You're 4 & you want to wear a blue shirt instead of a purple shirt, FINE!
You're 4 & you want to wear Spiderman underwear with the flap in front instead of My Little Pony... IdunnoaboutTHAT!
You're 10 & you want to hang out with dad & fix cars instead of mom in the kitchen, FINE!
You're 10 & you want to go HUNTING with dad's & shoot a shotgun... IREALLYdunnoaboutthat!
I understand that children must have the option & freedom to form their own identity. But there MUST be a LINE! When I was younger, I wanted a Hot Wheels garage & service station or something like that that was ALL THAT in the 80s. I got it! BUT I also got a Barbie vanity & a Cabbage Patch Kid. My mother gave me a BALANCE. But I never asked or wanted to smoke a cigarette or learn how to gut a fish. That's dangerous! My mother would never allow me to do something as dangerous as hunting no matter how NEARBY she was!
I just don't understand what goes through some parent's minds. I guess that's why I don't have children, huh?
3 comments:
kids just cant be kids nowadays, a shame
The issue with the shot gun is a bit extreme and I think those parents lack good parenting skills.....yes it's okay for children to want to explore their own identities but it is our responsibility as a parent to lead them in the right direction. . The fingernail painting and wanting to be called John at 4 is not that uncommon. Kids say the darndest things so we can not take those things as meaning anything really......I've done a lot of "dangerous" things in my life but "NONE" were under the supervision of a parent. Those were my own choices. I am assuming every parent does not read from the same book of life - that could be were the problem lies. Don't let your children run you - you should be in control.
I think it's cool for a 10 year old to go hunting with dad but not the 4 year old. It's called boundaries and patience! Waiting to be old enough to do something allows you to explore other, age appropriate things. However, no matter what a kid asks to do, the final decision rests with the parents. There are some parents who control the situation and others who are controlled by the situation/kid. I don't understand the latter (never in my lifetime or household!!!), but it happens. That said, when children run the show, expect dumb sh*t to happen!
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