Our generation.

Today I realized another big pet peeve of mine...(are you ready for it???) It's parents that pay zero attention to their children! We went to the park today for a family picnic, and there was a gathering of adults and children on the opposite side of the playground. The parents were all sitting around talking, while their small children were playing on the playground equipment with no supervision. If you are a parent and your child is under the age of 6, you should at all times be attentive to that child. The playground is a foreign environment with strangers all around. The entire playground thing kind of freaks me out, playground+magen (as a child)=ER visit. Every single time I take the kids to the playground, there are children running around climbing all over Addi and Conner. Trying to run over them to get to the slide they want, or the stairs they just have to climb on. There are no 'excuse me's' or 'sorry's'. They just figure they are faster, so they will just do whatever they please. Well not while I'm around. If your parent can't find the time to discipline you, then I will be more than happy to teach you some manners. It absolutely blows my mind. It makes me wonder, if they take their children to swimming pools and just let them jump in while they sit in their chairs and sunbathe. Probably, I mean, c'mon there are lifeguards at swimming pools...that's practically a babysitter, right?! I get so tired of watching kids practically falling from 12 ft high ladders, while their parents sit on the bench and text on their phones. Or better yet, there was a small boy, probably 3 years old swinging tonight on the playground. He was terribly upset that he couldn't get off the swing (his legs weren't even long enough yet), and he kept crying out for his mom to come to him. She apparently heard him, but didn't come over. After about 10 minutes of this, Madison finally stepped in and asked the child if he wanted some help or if he wanted her to help him over to his mom. He was kind of stunned that someone was trying to help him, and he grew quiet, but the tears were still streaming down his face. One of the other kids that was in his 'group' went over and told his mom, and she replied with ''you can tell him to get off it by himself, and put his shoes on and then he can come to me.'' What kind of b.s. is spewing from her brain to make her believe that is ok?! He is afraid to get off the swing and his own mother won't come to help him? Or his father, lets not forget his father. I have to say, my generation is terribly disappointing when it comes to rearing children. I'm not saying I am perfect by any means, but when my children call for me, I am there. Here are my stances as a parent. 1.) children must wear clothing when going into public places. At the age of 5 they should not be entering Wal-Mart while only wearing underwear. That is ridiculous. 2.) children should be watched at all times when in a public environment. You should be allotted a number of children that you can watch, just like a teacher is allotted a number of children she/he can teach. 3.) children should understand discipline and know respect for themselves and others. apparently our next generation is going to have the biggest problem with this. 4.) text messaging while around children should be strictly prohibited. it's just as bad as driving while texting. i've noticed that i can't pay attention to anything else while i text, so i have started leaving my phone in another room so that i can devote all attention to my children. a text message is not a high priority conversation, i don't care what you say, it's not. if someone can't take the time to call you and tell you something over the phone, it's not important enough to take time away from your kids to read and respond to. plain and simple. 5.) anyone under the age of 6 should not even comprehend what pop is. i hate it when my parents give the kids pop, but no matter how many times i ask them not to, they laugh it off and do it anyway. 6.) people should be given an i.q. test before they are allowed to bring home their children. or some sort of test, maybe a test of attention span...idk. either way, if you don't pass the test than you don't get to raise your children. you should have to study your ass off to pass the test, you are going to be responsible for another human being for the next 17 (in Missouri) or 18 years. That's a long time! That is a lot of decisions to make!!! That's a lot of ER visits and parent teacher conferences. It's a lot of work and parenting shouldn't be taken lightly. 7.) children should have a strict bedtime routine enforced. they thrive on routines and guidelines, that's how they learn. so nap time, dinner time, and bedtime are three routines that should be in place and adhered to as best as possible. That's all I can think of right now, but I have plenty...trust me. I just get so sick of the way I find younger individuals raising their children today. All you have to do is devote some attention to the children that YOU are RESPONSIBLE for. IDK, people are crazy. Different kinds of crazy... I can't change the world, but at least I can raise two children that will grow up to HOPEFULLY be responsible, respectful, and independent adults. That's really the only objective to parenting. UGH! lol. I will now step down from my soap box.