“My Concern is My Child”
May 17, 2007
Filed under Parenting & Family Posts
Thanks to Markk (again!) for this link and this thought. (Yes, alright I’m stealing your post. Feel free to steal one of mine).
The following quote belongs to columnist Jack Marx from a sensationally-title post Breeders…
For some time after the birth of my own boy, I was troubled by an altogether unexpected affliction: a loathing of other children. Where I had expected fatherhood to invest me with a newfound affection for all kids, the very opposite occurred, and for a few years I struggled with combative urges when in the company of other parents and their children. At the time, I put this down to some ancient biological instinct – one that ensured I would not find another child so pleasing as to move me to abandon my own – and, as I observed the behaviour of other parents at day care centres, I realised I was not exactly unusual.
Parents did battle over anything, always on behalf of their voiceless child. The parents of an anaphylactic boy, for example, who pleaded with a nursery to ban the nut products that would be fatal to their baby, were opposed by parents defending their three-year-old’s “right” to eat peanut butter sandwiches. The legendary parental concern for all children was never more absent than at an assembly of parents, anxiety over their own child’s quality of life triumphing always over the common good.
For me, this unsavoury suspicion of other children withered as my own boy grew, but what remains is a love and a loyalty that can be defeated by nothing. My support of issues about which I was once quite passionate is now entirely dependent on how they affect my boy, and, if it were to come to such extremes, I would break any law, extinguish any life and mow down any army to protect him. When it comes to the interests of the broader community, my jealous love for my child renders me a completely unreliable member of society. The “rights” of others can go to hell – they are the concern of others. My concern is my child.
In the realms of “concerned” parenthood, I do not believe I am a novelty.
Markk’s question was Do parents hate other parents’ kids? You can go read my grotty response over there.
My question is: In what situations have you found yourself protecting or standing by your child in opposition to others?
Jack Marx has seious problems. I hope he doesn’t pass them on to his kids.
I despise people who decide that they want to have children, and then don’t take the great responsibility to raise them themselves. Children are not pets.
For people like Mr. & Mrs. Marx, to abandon their own children to be raised by others, whether in a “Nursury,” a “Day Care Center” or “Preschool,” and then to complain about it, is hypocracy of the worst kind. They don’t deserve to be called parents, and should be called for what they are: obnoxious selfish breeders. God help their children…
A good question, Pete. I’ll be interested to read the other responses.
As yet, haven’t needed to (people are so forgiving of 2 year olds for some reason!). But trust me… they are my kids… I KNOW I will have to defend them for some stupid thing they’ve done!
In the same vein, both substantially tragic and pure gold, check out this…
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=227393
That’s an anger-inspiring link, Mr Molks! As the song says, “The world is full of stupid people”.
As for you comment about your own kids, you may well have to defend them against the stupidity of others. That’s more my point I guess.
This year, I’m battling (although that’s overdramatising it a bit) the kids-must-do-homework myth that our educational system perpetrates. Wierdly, many of the teachers I speak with agree with me (ie., that homework’s value for primary/elementary school and junior high students is questionable; that it interferes with children’s family time and their psychological & developmental need to have UNstructured time; that parents are not tutors, nor can we understand what the hell the teacher’s questions mean half the time any better than our 2nd grader can; etc.)
I think you’ll find that there’s heaps you actually step in to protect your little ones from already, mate.
Markk, why don’t you pretend to be a parent and gives us one of your own…
Bunk, your blog gives me much needed chuckles; thanks! Appreciate the visit and comment too – not really sure where Jack was going with his editorial, and the title was just a little cynical for me…
Pete… protecting my kids already from… you mean, like from MY parents…?
There you go! Now you got the idea… Sounds like a good story??