One day I'm going to find myself providing an answer to a child's question, the question will be "what is commonsense?" I'll more than likely have the answer due to all of the practice I'm getting today. With what the media presents to us as 'news' I find myself asking this question, "What has happened to the adults in America?" Our society is severely lacking commonsense. Firsthand knowledge of this lack came into our home while our children were in elementary school. My children are grown, my youngest graduates from high school in May of this year, and I write this blog to enlighten parents of the next up and coming generation of children - your children.
Have you ever heard a parent, or parents, say something like this, "Well, you just can't discipline a child in public today," or "you have to be careful what you say to your child because they may tell their teacher." I've heard several things like this over the course of the past 20+ years. One just needs to watch an episode or two of Super Nanny to realize that there are many families where the children are smarter than the parents. Dr. Phil recently had a family on his show where the parents were terrified of their 13-year old daughter. The best advice my parents ever gave me with regard to raising my own children was to never let my children know they were smarter than me. For those reading this that lack commonsense - their advice didn't mean that my children are smarter than me, it meant for me to live as though they were and always be one step ahead of them - ALWAYS.
When my son was a third grader, his older sister in fifth grade, he came home from school and as I always did I asked him if he learned anything new at school that day. He said that he did and was ver eager to tell me what it was he learned. He told me that his teacher told him (not just him but the whole clase) that if/when a parent disciplines them by striking, spanking or slapping them that they had the right to call the police. I asked him if his teach said anything else that he could remember and he added that his teacher said that parents couldn't hit kids just like kids weren't supposed to hit each other. Why I asked him if more was said was to see if he was being taught something from both sides or just from the side he presented to me as what was learned. Unfortunately, he was told only one side, the side that sounded like it was to his benefit. I wonder, did any parents further this topic of discussion with their children? Not many, if any at all. I told my son to go and get his sister because there was more that he, and his sister, needed to know about this subject.
My daughter hadn't been schooled on the subject of the right children have to call the police. She did get the chance, her teacher presented the same topic to her class later that same week. I explained to them both that the teacher was correct in what she had said but that there was more that I needed to explain. I asked both of my kids if they knew what would happen to them if they called the police, neither of them did. I told them that before they called the police they needed to pack themselves two bags, one bag would go with them to the hospital and the other bag would go with them to foster care. Between the time they called the police and the time the police arrived, I may have to hurt them by spanking them really hard that they would have to go to the hospital. I told them that I would probably go to jail but that their dad would come and get me out of jail and I would get to come home. They wouldn't get to come home, they would be taken by a social worker and then placed in foster care, which is why they would need to pack a bag with their favorite blanket and toys. Since it would be a strange house with strange people, they might want to have something familiar with them so they wouldn't be as afraid as they would if they didn't have them. I continued to elaborate this make believe situation until both of my children were sitting on the couch with tears rolling down their faces.
I know there are many of you reading this and thinking what a cruel mother I am. Not true. I love my children with all my heart. What I did for them was give them the overall picture of reality. There are children attending school needing to know they can call the police if they feel they are in danger. My children were never in danger, so as their parent, I needed to provide them with all of the facts. In one brief 15-minute talk with my kids I told them that I was the parent - not the teacher, not the police and that I would be their parent without fearing retribution by the police. When I ask my kids today if they remember that story they both say they do. I also ask them if it taught them anything and they say yes, they say that we only disciplined them when they were the ones doing wrong and that they didn't want to be the cause of them being taken away. Commonsense parenting will result in raising kids with commonsense. The following isn't my own personal experience like what I just shared, but worth the read when looking for commonsense.
Baltimore, Maryland - A teacher thought she was saving the lives of children in the school. These children were apparently threatened by a 7-year old boy eating a Pop-Tart. According to the boy, he was trying to create a mountain out of the Pop-Tart. Unfortunately, he is a bit art-challenged and instead of creating a mountain he somehow created a dangerous weapon, a gun. The teacher thought the Pop-Tart appeared to be in the shape of a gun. The teacher said she heard the boy say "bang bang" and that is what caused the boys 2-day suspension. The truly sad part about this story, this woman is teaching children and that the school administration supported this ruling. This woman, in my opinion, is an idiot and I sure hope the local school board is voted into office by the public. http://www.ktnv.com/news/watercooler/194673111.html
Here's another unbelievable story.
In a Fort Myers, Florida high school a student and two of his friends were suspended from school for preventing one student from shooting another on the school bus. The three boys that prevented a tragedy were given an “emergency suspension.” Okay, what is that? Apparently, the boys responsible for stopping a murder received suspension because they didn't wait, or failed to stand by and watch, one kid shoot another (with friends like that, who needs an enemy). Does the government now expect Americans to standby and wait for the arrival of the "first responders," it looks as though they do.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/3/student-suspended-wrestling-loaded-revolver-away-g/
Does anyone watch those shows, What Would You Do hosted by John Quiñones? More people than not walk away, don't get involved. I guess the story above is why - let's wait for someone, anyone that is a paid employee of local, state, or federal government as they know best how to handle any situation. If you don't believe that, just look at how they handle other things - Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and so on. One more thing, first responders, are they ever truly the 'first' on the scene of any accident or incident?
Who would have ever thought that being a good Samaritans would impose a legal issue when trying to assist fellow citizens that are in imminent danger? The unfortunate aspect of the current hysteria regarding guns is the complete lack of commonsense in dealing with these normal irrelevant issues.
Read the remarks from the Denver Senator directed to a rape victim. The rape victim, speaking at a congressional hearing to ban concealed weapons, was criticized by Senator Evie Hudak. I'm sure the Senator was able to address the rape victim as she did because she at one time in her life suffered the same act of violence on her person. I don't think that's the case. The Denver Post reported,
A Colorado state senator has come under fire for remarks she made to a rape victim at a committee hearing Monday on a bill that would ban concealed weapons on public college campuses.
Sen. Evie Hudak, a Democrat from Westminster, Colo., criticized testimony provided by Amanda Collins, 27, who said that the attack on her at University of Nevada, Reno, may have been avoided had she been allowed to carry a gun on campus.
"I just want to say that, actually, statistics are not on your side even if you had a gun," Hudak told Collins during the hearing, according to the report. "And chances are that if you would have had a gun, then he would have been able to get that from you and possibly use it against you."
Wow! She's sharp as a tack. I could also fall in my bathtub and break my neck but that doesn't mean we should all remove the bathtubs from our home. Senator Hudak is an idiot!
Unfortunately, the teacher and the senator have no commonsense and if they do, they haven't been taught how it should be used. I don't want to be governed by, or my kids taught by, people lacking commonsense.
One thing more I would like to add with regard to children. People make the mistake in claiming that children are born good. The fact is they aren't. Children are animals who are taught to be good. The base characteristic of all animal instincts is that of survival. This instinct to survive is the predominant foundational instinct of humans and supersedes all else. Therefore, because children must be taught to be good, they also can be taught to be bad.
Hitler's Youth. Khamer Rouge. If those two aren't enough do some research on Stalin and his 40 million Russians.
If reading isn't your thing check out the movie, "Blood Diamonds." Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this very entertaining film. Beware, this film does appear as left wing propaganda - but I'll let you decide.
My point in writing this is this - that at some time in the not too distant future Americans will be forced to deploy a modicum of commonsense and begin questioning the rights and power of the local, state, federal government, teachers, employers, and so on because without commonsense our Nation as we once knew it is DOOMED to fail. Wake up, be fearless, be bold, be accountable, be smart!
