Whose Fault is Rotten Behavior? (Video Evidence)
By: Keith
I‘ve collected several notorious Youtube videos that demonstrate the worst in kid behavior (below). Before I start pretending my boys are perfect let me make it clear that they both have had their own civility issues. I chalk those moments up to their hormones or immaturity or both. But, it is inconceivable to me that they could ever behave as badly as some of the kids in these videos. My boys are only 6 and 5 years old respectively and they still have time to prove me wrong. Still, I just can’t see it happening. The question of fault here is purely rhetorical because I already know the answer. It’s the fault of parents who don’t seem to be willing or able to monitor their kids and reign them in at the right times. The common thread in all these videos is that they somehow all have something to do with computer games. I like video games. My kids play video games. But, how can a parent be so irresponsible as to let video games become so important to their kids that the kid looses all perspective and rationality? Laziness. Poor parenting – plain and simple.
Absenteeism:
Kids need to have at least one involved parent. Not having that support and guidance is as bad as drugs. I’m not going to lie or sugar coat this for the benefit of being PC. There is almost never a need for a dual income family. It might be uncomfortable to live in an apartment, eat rice and vegetables every day, and buy clothes at bargain stores, but it’s a whole hell of a lot better than leaving kids alone all day or with unsavory influences.
Divorce:
Wow, what a sticky issue. I know plenty of good people who get divorces. They go to great lengths to provide stable environments for their kids despite the absence of one parent. I also know some divorcees who are selfish and end up neglecting their kids because they can’t see past their own petty little problems for the good of their kids. I’m not divorced, but I recognize the reasons for needing to get one are not crazy. Some people need to hit the reset button – fair enough. Kids shouldn’t suffer for that. Find a way to put them as a priority. Who knows if any of these videoed kids are the result of divorced families? I wouldn’t bet on it one way or the other. Rotten kids are rotten kids. I only mention divorce because it’s one of the stickiest issues facing kids, and I recognize the potential harm it can cause if not taken seriously enough by at least one parent.
Laziness:
If I had to bet what the cause of this insanity is I would say plain old laziness. Parents are too busy with their own stupid problems that they don’t see their kids slipping away. They plop them in front of the TV when they’re babies because they don’t want to bother teaching them. They ignore them when they start playing video games because it’s too much trouble to monitor. They don’t pay attention to their kids’ new friends, school-work and extracurricular activities. The result of lazy parenting is errant children. The video evidence is below.
I don’t know if it’s too late for these kids. Maybe. But, like all problems left to fester for too long, the worse it gets the harder it is to reverse. Unlike a bad pencil drawing, parents can’t just crumple up their kids, throw them in the trash bin and start over. People who endeavor to be parents get one shot at it. If they blow it then the consequences are serious. Not all people want to be parents; they choose other paths. That’s fine for them. But, deciding to be a parent is a lot more serious than deciding to open a business. Sorry, but that’s the truth. If I was these kids’ parents, and I saw these videos, I’d take some drastic action. It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing a big nasty zit. You can sit there and gawk or you can go get the zit cream. When people ask what gives with the big gross pimple, you can at least say you’re doing something about it.
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Bad behavior is a big topic! And an interesting one, since it differs culturally, and some can rationalize bad behavior more easily. There’s also a significant difference in a child’s bad behavior and an adult’s; I think you’re likely to find all kinds of reasons for both.
When you see outrageously over-the-top bad behavior, it certainly makes a little loss of temper or hormonal incident seem like small potatoes…
.-= BigLittleWolf´s last blog ..Sudden Outbreak of Rhymatoid ArtWriteUs; CDC Contemplates Next Steps =-.
BigLittleWolf, I was almost sure you’d comment on this one!
You bring up a good point too. Adult bad behavior is much different than kid bad behavior. There are, indeed, as many reasons for it as there are people. It’s an endless topic and one that doesn’t fit well in under 1000 words — unfortunately. Thanks for stopping in again!
Oh my gosh! I’m gonna make like the dog in the last video and go hide.
Mom, That dog was the funniest part of the whole thing. I kept expecting him to jump up and bite the freak!
Wow Keith. Just out of curiosity, what was your YouTube Query to find this stuff? You made some good points on laziness and absenteeism, I have been guilty of plopping my 8 month old twins in front of Noggin for an hour so I can get some chores done… but once I’m done I turn the TV off and get back to parenting!
You can slack (occasionally) but you should always have a plan to get back on track.
.-= Danny Grubb´s last blog ..How to Take Great Snow Pictures of Your Children =-.
Danny, I think I used a couple keywords. Insane children, crazy kid to name a few
You’re right, we all get lazy sometimes. It’s just that that’s entirely different than being lazy MOST of the time. LOL the results are striking aren’t they. Thanks for the comment.
WOW, I ‘ve seen the Greatest Freak out one, but that German kid, and the My Space kid were new. EGAD!!!! I blame the parents. Geez, why would a kid so young need a My Space page in the first place? There are so many reasons for kids to get this way, it’s really sad. And most likely irrepairable. I love my kids. They’re so awesome and CALM. I’m going to go hug them and take them for ice cream now…..
HAHAHA, yeah Mitzi, it’s true. I guess we don’t know how good our kids are until we have something like this to compare them to!