Parenting Isn't What It Used To Be!

We're all aware of what models often do to stay as slim as necessary for their work. They starve themselves. Bulimia. Anorexia. It's often tragic and totally unnecessary as far as the people who purchase what they are selling are concerned. Most of us don't look like they do nor would if we could!

Fashion. I often wonder how trends get started. Copying celebrity I understand. However, the current trend here, wearing next to nothing, ie; shorts, flip flops and the like in winter weather, is sheer stupidity and laziness on the part of the parents. And the kids.

The rationale is, one, they won't catch cold because it's a virus; two, school lockers aren't large enough to accommodate winter wear and they don't want to have to lug it around; three,  parents allow it because it's the latest fashion!

Funny, when I was in school our lockers were plenty big enough to accommodate winter coats. Perhaps there is too much other 'stuff' kept in them?

As for fashion? Well, the kids have their ideas. My parents had theirs too and when it was too 'far out' it was nixed. I would never, ever have been allowed to dye my hair any number of colors from magenta to purple. And never, never ever would I have been allowed to pierce my nose, lips or any other body part except maybe my ears. Forget tattoos! The interesting thing, and puzzling, is that I would never have questioned my parent's authority on this. Or anything else for that matter.

Now to the practicality of the matter. Running around in shorts and flip flops may not cause healthy youth to catch the virus. Note I say healthy. Those who sit behind computers all day don't tend to develop good immune systems.

Then there are the what ifs. What if Mom's car breaks down on her way to pick up junior. He's left standing in the cold for a half hour or an hour rather than five or ten minutes. What if it begins to snow. There are possible results far worse than a cold. Hypothermia. Frostbite.

Understand this. We're not talking about temperatures in the mid-30s. We're talking about temperatures hovering around zero. The weather people are always cautioning us about leaving our pets out too long in these temperatures. And they have coats!

No, when a parent says you have to choose your battles with your kids, the generational gap is glaring.

No. You're the parent. I'm sorry my Mom and her generation aren't around to give a few pointers.