Job Security for Me

As an alternative high school teacher, I just LOVE bad parenting. Now, many of my students have really great parents and have had other issues—illness, family member deaths, poverty—that have put them behind in school and into my classroom. But kids with bad parents are almost guaranteed to end up with me.

Yesterday was a perfect example. I was running a bunch of errands, and somewhere near the Target dressing room, I overheard this:

“MoMMEEEE!”

“I said ‘No’. I am not buying a watch for a three-year-old. A three-year-old doesn’t need a watch!”

[At this point I am both happy to hear a firm parent and a little sad that there’s one kid who won’t end up in my classroom; but then I certainly hope I can retire before this little one makes it to her junior year anyway.]

“MoMMEEEE!”

“Why do you always argue when I TOLD YOU ‘NO’?”

“MoMMEEEE!”

“Okay but I’ll just get you a plastic one, not a real watch.”

Aha! Success!! I wanted to call over and say,

“ Hey—I can certainly tell you why she keeps whining. For the same reason my dogs don’t beg from me, but they do beg from my mom. It works!

But then, I want whomever takes over for me when I retire to have nice, full classroom of students whose parents couldn’t say no and mean it.  Good luck. By then, teachers will probably be getting paid based on how kids raised like this do on their standardized tests. So good luck.

But mostly, good luck to the little girl who is in for a big fat trauma when she realizes the real world couldn’t care less how much she whines.

Beloved friends: is it seriously necessary to be completely rude when discussing politics? And is it necessary either to make stuff up or copy it from unreliable sources? I'm pretty much done and over with it, & it's only August. If you switch on the hysteria and rudeness because you are incapable of having a polite, reasoned discussion, please do everyone a favor and SHUT UP! (And I don't care which side you're on as I say this, or how well I like you outside of political discussions.)

Thomas Jefferson must be rolling in his grave--NOT because President Obama got elected or because Gov. Romney might, but because we are using our blessed free choice as an excuse for pettiness, meanness, and even cruelty.

And I promise you, there is a special place in hell for people who say either of the following: 1. The Aurora shooting proves there should be no gun control, because just think how great it would've been if only a dozen people could have shot back (no doubt hitting each other, too); or, 2. The Aurora shooting proves there should be gun control like crazy, because the shooter couldn't have gotten a gun otherwise (because lunatics scrupulously follow laws).  Shame on you for using such a horrific tragedy to further your own political agenda.

What the Aurora shooting does prove is that we should treat each other—especially those we love most, but yes, everyone—with kindness, love, and respect, because we never know when they will be taken away from us. Next time you want to call me stupid because of my political views, especially when the best “reason” you can come up with for your views is “because I said so and you’ll just see!” promise me you’ll consider how you would speak if Jesus were standing in front of you. Or Thomas Jefferson, who might just be wondering if freedom of speech was such a smart idea after all.

Personally, I like freedom of speech. Yours AND mine. And even if, in my own head, I’m thinking you’re an idiot to believe what you do, I promise not to be rude to you.  How about you promise to do the same?