Have you seen the YouTube video posted by a father who shot his daughter’s laptop? You need to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jo2slZJYYk
Why did he shoot it? He was fed up with his daughter’s sense that he owed her more than he had already given her and with her complaining about doing chores.
Any parent understands this Dad’s frustration. In a world where we parents feel that we must give our kids thousands of dollars worth of electronics: cell phones. laptops, ipads, ipods, video games, etc., and then pay to keep all of these things running, it’s no wonder that we feel used. We give until it hurts and then get our feelings hurt when our kids fail to
appreciate our efforts.
I see this Dad’s frustration daily on the faces of the parents in my office. But I see the problem differently. I think that we are the fools. When did we begin to feel that we owe our kids these things?
I see fourth graders with cell phones and second graders with laptops. Are you kidding?
Who’s thinking is skewed in these scenarios?
Parents- reign it in. How can we expect our kids *not* to feel entitled when we pour this stuff on them? We train them to believe that our job is to keep the toys coming and then we get mad when they fail to appreciate us.
Here’s a pretty simple, but hard solution for parents to keep their kids from turning into beasts. If a child wants a cell phone, he can earn it but only after he’s 15. And the laptop? No highschool kid needs one. Teen boys alone in their bedrooms with a laptop is a recipe for trouble with a capital “T.”
Cut the cords parents, literally, and I can guarantee that life with your kids will be a whole lot sweeter.
Now, I want to know: What was your reaction to the video?
