Those who know me know that I have an aversion to disruptive children. What a parent may tune out, the rest of the world is still subjected to and I think it is important to never lose sight of basic consideration for others in public places like restaurants. Becoming a parent does not exempt you from this basic rule of etiquette. While I understand that there are some children that are very well behaved in restaurants, (these are the ones you don't even know are there), there are also way too many who's parents should know better. And judging from the restaurant we are dining in should be able to afford a sitter for the night.
So since it is not reasonable for me to hope that a law banning children from restaurants (other than perhaps fast food types), will soon be passed, I have a different proposal for the restaurant industry. Now that the majority of states have banned smoking in all restaurants, the host/hostess no longer has to ask a patron "Would you prefer smoking or non-smoking?", so how about they replace it with the question "Children or no children"? and have a separate section specifically for families with children! See?? Everyone wins!
Far be it for me to complain without presenting an alternative solution.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
The Soapbox returns
There is a story in the news this week about a teenage girl who committed suicide. Very sad. Looked like a beautiful young lady by her picture. Her parents (I am assuming) feel that the harassment she suffered at the hands of other teenage girls were the cause of her taking her own life. This has spawned a lawsuit against the teenagers who were harassing her in the weeks prior and leading up to the day she took her own life.
I am a huge believer in being the master of your own destiny. People never, ever, commit suicide due to the actions of another. People commit suicide because THEY do not have the ability to deal with their problems in a different way. Children and teens are not exempt from this.
Take heartbreak for example. If the person you love breaks your heart and you commit suicide, is that really the fault of the person who broke your heart? Or is it YOUR fault for not being able to deal with the pain of the heartbreak? Arguably, heartbreak is one of the worst kinds of pain a person can feel in their life and it is a test of endurance to be able to come through on the other side. But no matter how bad the pain is, how each person deals with it is entirely their responsibility. If they learn something from the experience and grow stronger from the process then good for them. If they find that the despair is too much and they commit suicide, then bad on them. But just as you have to give credit to someone who comes through pain and adversity a stronger person, you must lay blame on the same person who takes their own life. This is because it was their decision.
Parents are shouldered with the responsibility of making sure their kids have the tools necessary to deal with life issues as they come up, but even with that, even the best parent can only do so much. If a child commits suicide, it isn't the fault of the parents. As I said before, children and teens are not exempt from being the masters of their own destinies. Suicide is a highly personal choice and no matter how badly a person is treated by another, harassed by another, or had their heart broken by another, it still comes down to a personal choice to live or to die.
The fact the the teenage girls who were harassing this poor kid are horrible, awful, bully bitches who should probably be sent to a North Korean labor camp for some retributional bullying of their own is a different story all together.
I am a huge believer in being the master of your own destiny. People never, ever, commit suicide due to the actions of another. People commit suicide because THEY do not have the ability to deal with their problems in a different way. Children and teens are not exempt from this.
Take heartbreak for example. If the person you love breaks your heart and you commit suicide, is that really the fault of the person who broke your heart? Or is it YOUR fault for not being able to deal with the pain of the heartbreak? Arguably, heartbreak is one of the worst kinds of pain a person can feel in their life and it is a test of endurance to be able to come through on the other side. But no matter how bad the pain is, how each person deals with it is entirely their responsibility. If they learn something from the experience and grow stronger from the process then good for them. If they find that the despair is too much and they commit suicide, then bad on them. But just as you have to give credit to someone who comes through pain and adversity a stronger person, you must lay blame on the same person who takes their own life. This is because it was their decision.
Parents are shouldered with the responsibility of making sure their kids have the tools necessary to deal with life issues as they come up, but even with that, even the best parent can only do so much. If a child commits suicide, it isn't the fault of the parents. As I said before, children and teens are not exempt from being the masters of their own destinies. Suicide is a highly personal choice and no matter how badly a person is treated by another, harassed by another, or had their heart broken by another, it still comes down to a personal choice to live or to die.
The fact the the teenage girls who were harassing this poor kid are horrible, awful, bully bitches who should probably be sent to a North Korean labor camp for some retributional bullying of their own is a different story all together.
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