Tag: parenting

The mobile generation

From Flickr via CrunchGear

I may or may not be allowed to talk about Robyn’s school and things that she tells me. But I thought this was pretty crazy.

We were talking about this last night – and a timely study has revealed children are now getting their first mobile phone at eight in the UK.

A certain teacher I know had to write a note home to parents asking them not to call their children on their mobiles during class time.

I’m all for children having mobile phones. That’s great. Provided they’re not just using them to send naked pictures to each other like the Herald keeps pointing out. I’m no luddite. My kiddies will have their own mobile phones and Facebook pages at birth. That way I’ll be able to keep tabs on them. That’s probably an exaggeration. But calling them while they’re at school? In class? No way. How embarrassing for the kid who gets a call from his mum during spelling:

Kid: Hi mum
Mum: Hi kid, did you remember to brush your teeth this morning.
Kid: Yes mum, I did remember to brush my teeth this morning.
Mum: Good, just checking.
Kid: I really don’t know why you needed to call me to talk to me about it.
Mum: Just checking up because I care. I love you.
Kid: (mumbling) I love you too.
Mum: What was that? Speak up son.
Kid: I love you mum.
Entire class: laughter, teasing, poking, prodding…bullying.

Why would you inflict that on your child? Seriously.

I’m really not qualified to give parenting advice. But parents. Don’t try this at home.

Plus there’s the disruption to the rest of the class. I think that’s the point of this teacher’s objections.

Laying the smack down

This is a stupid story. I was smacked as a child. Sometimes hard enough to leave a mark. I have nothing but respect for my parents for the way they disciplined me. I think I'm a better person for it. What is a father to do? His seven year old son wandered off at night and he found him in a park – so he smacked him, telling him not to do it again. And he gets arrested thanks to a "concerned onlooker" – the boy clearly deserved a smack on the bum – so obviously do the legislators and police force who perpetuate this nanny state – Supernanny would be all for smacking that kid…

Generation next

It occured to me tonight that the Wiggles have been gracing Australia’s screens and partronising our children for about 16 years. Wikipedia confirmed this – the Wiggles began their careers in 1991 – which means that the first generation of 2 year olds weened on the Wiggles will now be coming of age.

This brings me to a worrying connection between the playful, colourful “entertainers” (and I use that term loosely) and the youth of today.

As we know, children notoriously rebel against their children in the most extreme methods available. The antithesis to the primary colours wearing musos popular with a generation of Australian children is of course the emo:

That’s right – the emo epidemic sweeping the nation is directly attributable to the Wiggles and their massive popularity with parents who have imposed their happy, fun-filled, rhythmic form of control on unruly children over the last 16 years. It’s time to take stock of the impact modern parenting could have on tomorrow’s children.

And now for something completely different…