Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A response to this controversy I copied from another forum called ultimate guitar.com
"The kids today ARE self entitled, spoiled, adverse to working, and basically have NO usable skills taught to them in schools. (Yes some of you out there excel. If you've graduated high school and at least pay some of your own bills, then I'm not talking to you. If you however are 25 and live with your parents because you're too lazy to get a job, then yes, I'm talking to you. Half of that is the parent's fault for thinking that the school system is supposed to raise their kids. The other half is a parent's fault for letting our school systems get to the utterly pathetic state they are in. It's your kid.. so no matter what it's ALWAYS your fault.. get it?
I'll give you a real example from the NC school system. My daughter just finished Honors Geometry in school. Halfway through the semester she asks me "Dad, can you help me type this math problem into your graphing calculator? I can't get the equation to come out right." I said "sure" and went over to help out. The problem was about calculating the tangent of a line, but I can't remember the specifics of it at the moment. I took a look at it and said "Honey, why don't you just do the problem manually... you know, on a piece of paper? It's pretty easy."
She honestly looked at me like I was a complete idiot! "You can't do it with a pencil and paper, Dad. Sheesh!"
I stared at her dumbfounded. "Honey, you DO know that tangential math has been around since the 1600s, right? Over 500 years. Long BEFORE graphing calculators existed..., right?"
Her response was "Well, we're not taught that. We're just taught how to enter it into a calculator and get the right answer."
Absolutely SURE she must be crazy, I checked.... and she's right. HONORS mathematics at the high school level doesn't teach kids basic math principles. At all!!! If a modern honors geometry student had to calculate the distance of a line from the top of a flag pole to any point in space relative to the ground.. they have no idea how to do it. (How many of you just asked your kids to show you how to do that? Wait... how many more are Googling it right now? Stop. That's cheating.)
Further, almost every state now is taking "writing" out of schools. Kids are now being taught to print, and that's it. No need for actual writing because they all have computers. I'm NOT making this up! This is TRUE!! They learn the alphabetic characters... and nothing more. The age of eloquent thought borne by patient strokes of pen to paper... are gone like Rhett Butler's sex appeal.
So let me recap... you don't learn math, you don't learn to write actual words without the benefit of spell-check. You don't apparently learn grammar either because I've SEEN those text books and quizzes.. horrible.
Yet you want ME to stop raising MY child with old fashioned methods that actually made me fairly intelligent, capable of fending for myself, capable of managing money, holding a job, respecting my elders, etc?
So you can replace it with what? You want to teach kids it's OK to talk back to parents as long as they have the freedom to express themselves. You want to outlaw spankings. You've obviously made it OK for them to be stupid upon graduating high school. You've recently made it illegal for kids to work around any animal that can harm them under the age of 18, to include working in hay lofts, around dogs, or cats, horses, or cattle, etc. (Thanks for that law Obama.. idiot) You won't let them work in a restaurant that serves alcohol until 18 in most states. You won't let them work at ALL until 15 (It was 13 for me, but Dad lied and got me started when I was 12). When are they supposed to learn actual adult stuff exactly? When do they learn responsibility? No kid left behind? Pfft.. EVERY kid left behind! (Dang I'm mad now.. maybe I WILL run for President... no, wife already vetoed that one. I'd really love to though.. really, seriously!)
"Modern" parenting raises ill-prepared kids who can't do anything and have no skills because they're protected from even LEARNING them until 18 years old, at which time you want us parents to throw them out into the world, send them off to college, and expect them to be productive members of society? You can take your "modern" parenting, and shove it. Jeezus people. Half of you think chores at 15 are too much! God forbid we make them actually WORK too!"
That is from the fathers own facebook page. The man that shot the laptop
Chores are a fine way to teach kids' discipline and chipping in to help out. But that's not what this was about. This was about the dad's anger and lack of self-control.
Again, responsibility can be taught without resorting to this. He could have simply taken the laptop away, given it away to a charity or a church. If anything, this modeled irresponsible behavior. First, in wasting the money spent on the laptop and second, in reacting in ridiculous levels of anger.
You really expect her to respect a person who shoots things that make him angry? This stunt lost the dad a bunch of respect.
Yes, there are consequences to actions. That wasn't what any reasonable person would take away from that video though. I would also hope parents would teach their children proper grammar.
Chores is partly what this is about because her doing chores was the reason for the letter she posted on facebook.
How is responsibility taught by just handing children whatever they ask for?
He took the laptop away last time she acted out and did that work? NO Because she wrote that letter. It was his money to waste.
Actually seems this is bringing them closer together. They spent a lot of time talking and bonding and in her own words " its just a laptop" she isnt going to commit suicide, or get hooked on drugs or whatever else. Its just a laptop
That is from the fathers own facebook page. The man that shot the laptop
So, apart from his anger management problem he seems to have a problem with politics. What does destroying a laptop do to change things?
If his daughter needs to use a calculator to solve math problems at school, then that's the way it is. He had better get used to living in the 21 century, this is not the 1960s.
Chores is partly what this is about because her doing chores was the reason for the letter she posted on facebook.
This conversation has nothing to do with whether or not he assigns chores to his daughter. That's his decision. His ridiculous public reaction and its effectiveness as a parenting tool is what this conversation about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jadex
How is responsibility taught by just handing children whatever they ask for?
Again, you're not actually responding the the issue at hand. Children can and should earn their gadgets and toys, etc., through chores or some other arrangement. That's a perfectly reasonable parenting method and one that no one here disputes. Shooting a perfectly good laptop online while shouting your daughter's name and acting unhinged is an irresponsible action. It shows a severe lack of control and it would be difficult to respect someone who does something like that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jadex
He took the laptop away last time she acted out and did that work? NO Because she wrote that letter. It was his money to waste.
Sure, it was his money to waste. But it shows a real lack of responsibility and decency to shoot up a computer in anger like that.
Looking around on the guy's facebook, it's pretty clear he did this as a publicity stunt.
So, apart from his anger management problem he seems to have a problem with politics. What does destroying a laptop do to change things?
If his daughter needs to use a calculator to solve math problems at school, then that's the way it is. He had better get used to living in the 21 century, this is not the 1960s.
Anger Management problem?? I know many people with anger management issues( sadly) and let me tell you this none if them would have had the control this man had.
What is the issue with thinking she should know how to solve it without a calculator? I dont see the issue
It's pretty clear who in this thread has had experience raising teenagers and who hasn't.
Oh, and I think it was lionking (apologies if I'm remembering that wrong) that said something about the guy getting in trouble for not being at a shooting range. It may come as a surprise, but there are still some places where it's actually legal to discharge a firearm on your own property. It probably depends on the state, but you can also shoot on land managed by the BLM (at least here in Nevada). I go shooting on a dry lake bed, about a mile off of I-15, and it's perfectly legal.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I hope I was adopted or somebody else's child, well done mom ^^
