Topic : 10/07 The Latest Debates

I a dad (married) with 3 young kids  Here's my take on these topics: 

Breastfeeding in Public:     My wife tried to breastfeed, but quit early because of the sleep deprivation.  I have a 2 month old, and it's hard enough to get out of the house.   No you should not flaunting your breasts in public, but raising kids is hard enough.  The breastfeeding mom should attempt to cover up, but having to go to the restroom to breastfeed is ridiculous.  I had the impression that this woman who was complaining had no kids and way too much free time.  I have far more serious issues and things to worry about. 

Condoms in Schools:         If they can be given out without promoting sex, great.  I wish more effort was spent on demonstating this.  A study from planned parenthood was quoted.   My concern is that that could be biased ,since planned parenthood strongly supports birth control and also abortion.  I wonder if they did the study with the intention of promoting their cause, or if they were legitimately trying to investigate this.  More details on this study and some other statistics from other groups would have had me more convinced. 

Discipling Other's Kids:    My 6 year old son is autistic, and I get lots of judgemental remarks.  This serves no purpose, and ignorance is no excuse.  I never get these remarks from the guy with 3 kids or someone knowledgeable on parenting.  It's always from someone with no kids by themselves or with friends.  It is especially annoying if I am actively doing something to correct the situation and someone still criticizes me.    

On the other hand, if I am chasing my daughter one way, and my son runs out into the parking lot, then it is acceptable to try to prevent him from doing so.  If my son is waiting in line and another kid cuts in front of him, I will stop that kid and tell him to go to the end of the line. 

Where the problem arises in my own experience is with your [or others] definition of a 'public place'. A movie theatre, for instance, is a public place. If your child's screaming interferes with my own ability to hear the movie, then I think it is well within my rights to complain. If you don't want me to complain to you, then I will complain to the management. Which would you prefer? I don't care either way, I just want to hear the movie.  

Church is also a public place and I am very tolerant of children's need to make some noise, so parents who give children toys and snacks in the pews don't bother me at all. However, if you allow your child to crawl under the seat and poke at the toes peeping through my sandals, then I will object. I promise not to kick your child, but I am likely to bend down, stare him/her straight in the eye and say, "I am listening to Father right now. He is talking about God. I find it hard to listen to him when you are poking me. Please go poke Mommy or Daddy instead. Thank you."  [Children seem to respond to this by quietly crawling away FYI.]  

Another public place is the school system. If my child is attempting to learn math facts, then I have to admit that your child's screaming or running is likely to interfere with that. Since the purpose of school is to educate children in the approved curriculum, I would expect that someone is going to interfere with your child's disruptive behaviour.  

That's life, you know? I don't get to run screaming through public places as an adult, and somewhere along the line children have to learn that they can't either. If you are teaching them that, I applaud you. If you aren't, what's stopping you?  

In the heat of passion even a grown man will rarely stop the momentum to locate, unwrap, take 2 or 3 attempts to properly put on a condom. And people expect children to be stronger?   

In the amount of time it takes to locate, unwrap, take 2 or 3 attempts to properly put on a condom neither children have time to say NOT YET?  

Young people and unfortunately many adults do not know bounderies. Where are todays parent-leaders? 

My son fathered a child at age 17. Later he confided in me that he had a condom in his wallet at the time of the passion.  I am proud to say he accepted responsibility for his son even though he and the mother never married/attached. He was a good dad until he died at age 25. 

Ron