Parents Who Let Their Kids Run Amok
You know what I'm talking about. These halfwit parents who seem to think there's no problem with letting their sugar-filled children run around public places disturbing all manner of civility. They plague almost any place you might want to go: theatres, malls, restaurants, outdoors in general. Children screaming and knocking things over while their parents talk on cellphones or stare depressingly into the middle distance and wonder where their life went wrong. Snap out of it, lady! And please tell Blake, or Chaz, or Gabe, or whatever his name is, to sit down and shut up! It sucks that these kids have no manners, but the parents suck more for not teaching them any.
Parents Who Are Tyrants
This might seem like the opposite of the first one, but really I'm talking about parents who are burdening their children with all their personal hopes and dreams, and pushing them far too hard at too young an age. If teaching in Korea has taught me anything, it's that some parents will do anything to force their children to succeed in a competitive world. In one particular example, I've heard tell of a young girl in the first grade who had to attend public school, several private academies, do online lessons, and complete homework assigned by her own mother. She's in the first grade!! Why is she doing four sets of homework? That's child abuse! It sounds like this child would have barely enough time to sleep, let alone play with her friends and do other important carefree things that make childhood joyful. Mom and Dad, stop suffocating your children with work and structure!
Parents Who Are Anti-Video Games
This is ongoing debate that is certainly not going to be solved here, but I'll throw in my two cents. I won't even try to tackle the whole "video games promote violent behaviour" issue, but simply complain about the "video games make children lazy and dumb" issue. I hate that statement because it's about as stupid as the parents who make it. For some reason parents want to attack video games for creating a generation of inactive social introverts. I guess because when you play games you sit in one spot, indoors, and that's about it. Well how is that different from tons of other activities? Writing, drawing, watching TV, using a computer; these are all activities that keep you fairly immobile. And how about reading!? Parents are always pushing their kids to read and study, but what is more inactive than that? You can't read Shakespeare while mountain biking. Yet no one attacks books for making kids lazy. I played games all throughout my childhood and I still found plenty of time to play outdoors, get exercise, breathe fresh air, and expand my imagination.
Also, parents who think reading is going to make kids smarter than playing games have obviously never seen a Japanese RPG. Studying history would be a relief from the reading required to play those games. I'm not saying games are going to make you smarter or boost your reflexes and coordination, but they are certainly not going to make you stupid. It's not a passive experience; you make choices and become engaged with characters and stories. A parent who is concerned about their child being lazy and dumb should get involved in various activities with them and teach them something. Instead these parents who are angry at their kids for playing video games too much, probably have their own asses parked in front of the TV.
Also, parents who think reading is going to make kids smarter than playing games have obviously never seen a Japanese RPG. Studying history would be a relief from the reading required to play those games. I'm not saying games are going to make you smarter or boost your reflexes and coordination, but they are certainly not going to make you stupid. It's not a passive experience; you make choices and become engaged with characters and stories. A parent who is concerned about their child being lazy and dumb should get involved in various activities with them and teach them something. Instead these parents who are angry at their kids for playing video games too much, probably have their own asses parked in front of the TV.
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