The nuclear family is no more. Gone are the days when the American extended family was capable of providing support for the younguns if Mom and Pop couldn't do it alone. Usta be Gramps and Gramma were just around the corner, and could be over in a flash. Ifn they just plumb forgot to pass on a real plumb of wisdom when they reared THEIR younguns that would come in handy right then, why, they'd be right there!
(Wake up, you're not in Kansas anymore.)
Parents can't wait to get rid of the kids, and it's not like they really knew them anyway. Dad's out getting a paycheck as he always has, but Mom's out there too. The kids are in daycare, and it's a real pain when they need a little traditional parenting. A real imposition really. Don't we pay professionals to do this crap? Mom and Dad get home and they do TV while the kids do TV dinners (pop em in the microwave, what are ya, a cripple?).
Divorces are unfortunately easier to get than a $10 bankrupcy. You have to wait longer to get a gun than it takes to break up a family. Mom has issues, and Dad doesn't even know Mom anymore, so what's the point in staying together. The home? Today the average family plants roots about every five years, and sometimes even in the same city. The schools? I think we're all pretty much agreed schools worth being loyal too are not affordable by the middle class anyway. The churches? The neighborhood church is fading fast, and the megachurch probably has a branch in the next city. It's sort of like switching banks or health clubs; they all look alike. Chances are pretty good your local pastor is a convicted pedophile anyway.
The kids?
Yes! The Kids! What part of this don't you understand? As if the "X" Generation wasn't bad enough, we haven't even cared enough to give the current crop a nickname. They're anti-social, have little or no values, live in front of the TV, and really couldn't give a crap what we think. They'll just as soon sue your ass if you even think of slapping one of them up side the head for flushing the cat just to see if it could swim. I'm not talking teenagers here - read the headlines and see how many 8-10 year olds are in the headlines for murder and rape, once thought to be adult crimes. There was a time when a single murder would capture the attention of the nation for days, because it just didn't happen. Now every newspaper and TV has special body count summaries daily just to see who survived, and what groups are no longer a problem due to a LACK of survivors.
Evil, and yes, that is the correct word, is easier than good. I can agree with the professionals on that topic. It's harder to resist doing something just for the shock value or thrill of it all, than it is to evaluate the impact of your actions, and analyze how others will be affected. It's called values, and it doesn't come naturally, and it doesn't come in a can. You can't pay someone to teach them, and you can't teach them overnight. Everytime you screw up and try to blame someone else, keep in mind there's little eyes watching you and filing your examples away for reference.
That said, you can't just walk away from your (or their) problems. You had that chance before you decided to have children. Now, it's too late - you're committed. Do what you want most of them - GROW, dammit! Face your personal issues and do what you need to do to straighten out your lives so you don't have to take it out on the kids and society in general. Spend the money that would have gone to child support on counselling and therapy, and ride out the storms. Life sucks, and trying to manage more than one just multiplies the difficulties - deal with it. Kid swapping on weekends simply raises a generation of belligerant schitzophrenics, and pushes the human race that much closer to cultural armageddon.
Write your congressmen and have them pass a law that requires a waiting period for divorce. They did it with gun purchases, and the banks do it with loans. Sayeth the judge, "Yeah, alright, here's your divorce. It kicks in when the youngest turns 18. One per customer. Now go away, and don't bother me again..."
Posted by NIFAIRIOUS at February 12, 2002 06:17 PM