I didn't blog yesterday. Since this month is supposed to get 30 posts in 30 days, I'll just post twice today. I don't know if I've already been disqualified or not, but since there's not really anything to be disqualified from, I don't much care.
We all say that parents are the worst part of sleepovers at work. If just the kids came, they would be exponentially better. Such was the case with two groups this week. From Malibu. I probably don't need to say anything else. Just Malibu parents. And for these individuals, I use that term loosely. They could not have been more inconvenienced by having to attend. They did not participate. They sat in the back on their Blackberries and/or IPhones. Heaven forbid they actually spent time with their children. One father in particular really got on my nerves. He was a cell phone guy, not paying attention to anyone else. He also wore his sweatshirt hood all night, unibomber style. Every time one of our counselors spoke, he got a look on his face like we were just ruining his life. That's not even the worst of it.
The worst came at dinner, when his daughter walked up to one of our counselors and asked, "Does it ever get any better?" Unsure what she meant, the counselor inquired, "Does what get any better?" The daughter repled, "Having a dad that's always on his phone."
Had I heard this, I would have cried first, and punched the dad in the face second.
I don't care who you are. When you have children, planned or not, they are now number one. (Well God should always be number one). Not work. Not your friends. Not your phone. Your children. They so desperately need you, as evidenced by the fact that this girl asked that question to a complete stranger. All she wanted was for her father to pay attention to her. To take an interest in her life. Apparently, that was too much to ask.
3 comments:
I work with a child who was a "mistake". He acts out for attention and can be a real pain in the rear. I find myself feeling so sorry for him and just really wanting to strangle the parents. If you have a child, planned or not, be a parent. A loving one. If you can't do that, put the child up for adoption, because we both know that there are plenty of people out there who would love to have that child. Working at a disadvantaged elementary school where at least half of the parents couldn't care less about their children has been a real eye opening experience. There have been so many kids I would love to bring home to get them out of their situations. Kind of like working at the humane society and filling your house with "unwanted" dogs and cats. Some people don't deserve to be parents, and really should be sterilized. That's why I love my job. Sometimes we are the only ones that care about these kids, the only hug they get all day, the only one to cheer them on and give them recognition for a job well done. My kids went to a school where most of the kids were well supported by their parents. When I go to work now I have to keep reminding myself, "Vicki, you're not in Kansas (at Barnett) anymore!!!!!" Sad........
That is SO sad. And that dad probably thinks he's doing an awesome job because he makes a boatload of money so that his kid can go to an ivy league school. IF she doesn't get completely ruined by him first, all she'll remember is that he couldn't get off his cell phone and couldn't wait to ship her off to school on the east coast.
So sad. These kind of people irritate me more than probably anything else... people who don't deserve to be parents. Grrr.
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