Come On People


OK, so I am dying to read this book, and not because Bill Cosby was on Oprah today. I wasn't all that impressed with the Oprah show. I was very impressed with an in-depth interview that Borders released more than a week ago. If you are a borders rewards member you probably saw the link in your weekly newsletter. If you're not a borders rewards member, what are you waiting for?

Why am I excited? Well some will argue that I have become more conservative in my old age. I would disagree. I don't think it is about being conservative or liberal, being black or white, being compassionate or having a stick up your butt; I think it simply has to do with being smart. It doesn't take a genius to make the connection between a student making good grades and a parent who checks homework.

I haven't read the book yet, so I can't say I agree with everything that Cosby says (did you notice people calling him Dr. Cosby?) . I do like his parenting style. On Oprah, he urged parents to take charge: to know what their kids are involved in and set limits. He said, "don't be afraid to go into your kids room, see what they are doing on the computer, listen to their music". It might not seem fair, but it isn't supposed to be fair. It's called being a parent, and as a parent you have a responsibility to make sure your child grows into a decent and civilized adult. You can't do that when you don't know that your teenage son is stockpiling weapons in his bedroom and making homemade bombs. Come on people!!!

Maybe it is easy for me to criticize because I am not a parent. And yes, good parents have bad children. It happens, even when you follow all of the written and unwritten rules of child rearing. In the end, all you can do is give them the skills they need, teach them the difference between right and wrong and hope that if they stray they will find their way safely home. But lately it seems like there are a whole generation of people who aren't even trying. It scares me when teens are getting pregnant and having children, because there is absolutely no way they can understand the enormity behind having and raising children. If they did, they wouldn't be getting knocked up.

That's just my two cents.