I know this probably more aimed at whether or not it’s okay to hit your kids, but this reminds me of something that happened when I went to pick up my nieces and nephew from school once.
So, because I basically work from home, I’m free every day to pick them up. I walk. The school is only two blocks from the house. It’s not a problem. Besides, it’s easier because other kids being picked up by car cause a lot of congestion so I end up getting home way before they even leave parking lot.
It was raining really hard one day so I took the truck. When I got there, I parked and went to the waiting area and met with the other parents. Some I usually talk to also walk because they live either closer or on the same street as I do. I remember they asked why I decided to drive this time. I just kind of gestured to the rain.
And one of them goes “well I had to walk in the rain when I was a kid.”
And I just said, “yeah, so did I, and it sucked. Why am I going to make them do it too?”
I wish I could say they were like “oh you’re right,” but they weren’t. They just kind of shrugged it off and then proceeded to make their kids walk home with them in the rain.
A friend of mine occasionally goes on rants about how unfair it is that being a nerd is cool now. Keep in mind, this man is my age. Just turned 30 this year. He goes on an entire “when I was in school you got picked on for playing video games and now it’s cool” diatribe. Talking about how all the celebrities are playing D&D now when you used to get laughed at, etc. and just getting really worked up about it.
And like, sure, I understand being a little bitter that you had to go through that only for the standards to change, that the things you’re into are cool now just one short generation after being cool mattered to you. And you’re allowed to be upset about that, I guess, even if you don’t have anyone to blame. What’s considered cool changes over time, that’s just how society works.
But he takes it out on the kids. Like for some reason it’s their fault that they’re not being treated as badly as he was. That they’re somehow not real nerds because they haven’t had to fight for it. There’s so much anger in him about this and I don’t understand it. Overall, this is an improvement. We didn’t just switch what was cool. We don’t hail the gamers and computer programmers and stuff all the football players into trash cans in the hallway. Jocks and cheerleaders are still cool, but now being a nerd is cool too. That is a net gain in the number of people not being picked on for their hobbies.
The whole point of slowly improving the world and society over time is so people have an easier, happier, more fulfilling life. You may have had to pass through fire, but now that you’re hardened to it, it’s your responsibility to douse it so no one else has to get burned.
