My Top 10 Parenting Gripes

submitted by Carter

1. Parents who allow their 3 year old to walk around with a pacifier sticking out of their mouth. Now if a doctor says that a bottle needs to vanish around their first birthday, shouldn't a plug? How does a child to learn to talk if they have a binkie in their mouth 24/7? Not to mention, it just looks weird!

2. Parents who give unwanted advice on how to potty train a toddler when their child is an infant and they've never attempted it before. This to me is like seeking a marriage counselor's advice who has never tried matrimony.

3. Parents who actively involve their children in adult types of views and decisions. This goes for parents who think it's appropriate to let a five year old watch a Chuckie movie to a parent who thinks it's acceptable to have their eight year old hold a bloody anti-abortion sign. Kids need to be kids! Do we want them to have anxiety and nightmares?

4. Parents who allow their children to have their own television in their bedroom. Don't they see enough tv anyway? I don't know how a parent could possibly monitor a child's bed time or even know what their child watches? They could be watching "Chuckie" for pete's sake!

5. Parents who laugh at their child's naughty, but oh, so cute behavior. Really, this is not so cute when they turn five and enter school. This also goes along with parents who allow their children to talk back. Parents need to know that if a child talks back to them, the child will also talk back to any adult. Respect for elders needs to be instilled at home. This is something that is too late to teach in school.

6. Parents who dress their identical twins in matching outfits all the time. Okay...this is petty to complain about, but I know I wouldn't like to look exactly like someone else, let alone dress like them. Poor kids..they need their own identity! This also goes for parents who name their kids rhyming or similar sounding names...like Kim and Jim or Veronica and Monica.

7. Parents who allow their children to dress however they like. Now, I don't have a problem with mismatched socks and clothing that doesn't look good together. I am talking about the child who chooses not to wear a winter coat in January, wears winter books in July or sports an outfit that looks like something a call girl would wear. I am all about creating identities (like I mentioned earlier), but some times parents need to act as such and put their foot down.

8. Parents who allow their teenagers to drive four-wheelers on city streets. I almost hit one of these kids a few years ago on an ice covered street. These kids thought it was fun to slide around on these "go carts", but with how low to the ground they sit and no helmets, they almost met their match. If it's illegal, be the parent and say "no". I can't imagine kids being able to purchase something of this type of expense on their own without parent funding.

9. Parents who bribe their children with outlandish gifts for "good behavior". I once heard a parent of a four year old say that if their child was good for a week, they'd pay him $40 for acceptable behavior at preschool. I looked at them baffled and they said, "Well, it's cheaper than a trip to Chuck E. Cheese." This child is now in second grade and I wonder how much his "behavior" is costing them? What happened to be good because it's expected?

10. Parents who think that a book called Babywise is the cure-all to perfect parenting. There is no book out there that tells you what to do for every child. All children are different and need to be treated as such. Good common sense and this list here is really all you need to know! :)