After lunch yesterday , we decided that a trip to Geauga Lake would be nice afternoon fun. Though Michael's leg is not anywhere near up to all of the walking, now that his permanent cast is off he can ride in his wheel chair but get up and get on rides with minimal problems. All was going great until the kids decided to ride one of the smaller roller coasters. Due to Mike's back problems and my having a tight neck we took a seat by a nearby game stand while they rode. The game was the one in which you try to climb a rope ladder up an inflated platform. If you reach the top you can press a buzzer and win a big stuffed animal. This game must be pretty tough as the prizes were huge. Another indicator of the skill level needed for this game is that you rarely see anyone attempting it. Anyway, Mike and I set down and was watching the employee who was running the game show us all " how easy" it is . For some reason this called quite a crowd. Mostly little kids. Then a family walked up. One little girl decided that she was " owed" the big stuffed wale hanging on the fence right next to where I was setting . She ran and threw her body on it as though it were her bed. Even though she probably weighed less than seventy pounds, the poor stuffed wale was broke from his binding to the fence and fell to the ground. Surely her parents had seen this and were about to correct her for such an obnoxious act I thought. However , the mother glanced at her and then back to another of her children who was attempting the game. Amazed as I was ,I was sure that maybe she didn't realize what happened, after all the game attendant hadn't. The poor wale didn't even get left alone when he fell. The girl stood on him, then her two sisters seen her and joined her. Three children ( all old enough to know better ) were standing on this stuffed wale. Surely the Mom would correct them. Nope, Their Mother walked over and counted her kids where they stood ( wouldn't want to loose one) Then she stood next to them( at least she didn't step on the wale I guess.) I couldn't believe it. She didn't care. I was so upset that I stood up and mentioned that those kids were going to ruin that poor stuffed animal to which she acted like I was invisible. Finally I walked away with my blood boiling . I knew that if I stayed that the temptation to knock some sense into that Mother would have been too hard to resist.
We had a wonderful rest of the day but this incident still bothers me. Even though I am pro family and love children, I am a major advocate of making your children mind. Mine are older now and the instances of correcting them has slowed down quite a bit but that is because when they were younger they did not run free . Somewhere like an Amusement park ( Cindy went for the first time when she was two months old ) they were in my sight constantly. They were corrected when they needed it and yes punished when needed too.
I guess what upsets me so is that I constantly hear how today's children are so bad, have no morals, and many other negative comments that are made. I take offence to these because I have made raising my children right a priority in my life, Now this is not a I am better because I quit my job to raise my children comment. For those of you who have not known me as long as others, I worked for many years when Cindy was small and even awhile after Michael was born. Teaching children morals, behavior, and discipline ( when needed) can be taught by any mother in any situation. The mother must just choose to. How hard would it have been for this Mother to say " get off of that". Is she afraid that her kids will not like her or does she feel that they are entitled too? I don't understand. What will she do if in ten years she discovers that her precious entitled babies are doing drugs? Turn her head? Maybe she should stop trying to earn her children's love and earn her title as Mom !
Sad that for so many things in this great country that we live in, we must prove ourselves before we get the privilege ( driving a car, schooling for careers, etc.) but anyone can be a parent.
I apologise that this is not what some of my readers want to hear and I do not intend for this Blog spot to be an arena for my complaints but maybe if one person sees this post maybe just maybe they will realize that there are good kids out there and not judge all on what a few bad parents have created.
