While I know that I am not a parent, and it is an incredibly challenging job there are just a few things that parents do that bother me. I am not saying that the people who do these things are bad parents, I just feel that when I have my own kids there are a few things that I will try to make sure that I don't do.
Using The World As A Bathroom: This is one that I see parents doing all the time. I know that when you gotta go you gotta go and especially for little kids it is hard for them to hold it in, but what are you teaching your kids? That its okay to just drop your pants anywhere and go when the urge comes? What are you saying about the environment? About hygiene? I kid you not, I was at the park today and there was a parent who's child had to use the bathroom so he picked up his daughter took off her pants and let her go right there next to the slide! Not only is that indecent its just plain gross!
Cell Phones: I know that taking your kids to the park everyday is not the most exciting of events but really? There was a father who spent the entire time at the park with his daughter looking at his cell phone! There used to be a lot of mothers who would bring a book to the park to read while the kids played, I feel that a book is better than a phone. There is something about a cell phone that just sucks you into it and before you know it time is just gone. It would not surprise me if the father were at the park on his cell phone and his daughter were snatched up and he wouldn't have noticed.
Breastfeeding In Public Places: There have been numerous discussions in recent years on this topic and I don't want to get too wrapped up in this one. I feel that there are right places and wrong places for it. The other week I was on a bus sitting next to a woman who was breastfeeding, while she was covered it was still a little uncomfortable. I think that if you do need to do it in a public place then maybe it needs to be done in less proximity to other people. Like say a crowded bus is not the place.
Public Transit: Car are expensive, I get it. But there has to be a limit right? A family with 5 kids gets on a crowded bus to travel between cities and want to sit together, the kids are little and loud and the parents have to buy the tickets and then deal with moving people around so they can all sit together. Is it really that much more to rent a car for the few times that you take a family trip to visit the grandparents?
The Nanny: Alright, I'm not really going to stick with just a nanny in this one. There are many families here in Israel that are always looking to hire a nanny or a cleaning lady and I know there are some people who really need them and don't have them and then there are people who feel that they really need them and don't really need them. I am just going to say here that I don't want to have a nanny or a cleaning lady. There are also parents that are always looking for a nanny to basically raise their kids, from bringing them home from school to weekly baby sitters. I know parents have to work but shouldn't they be trying to make time for their kids? The occasional help would be nice but I grew up with out one so I don't see the need.
This is my short list of parenting pet-peeves. I have a bit more to say on the nannies you can find my
follow up post here.
There are so many interesting books on parenting out there:
Parenting For Dummies
When Parents Text: So Much Said...So Little Understood
Parenting From the Inside Out
