“Emory, I need for you to come here.” “Ashley, I need for you to put your coat on.” “Damon, I need for you to stop talking like that.” “Jacob, I need for you to get in the car.” “Christopher, I need for you to get off the swing.” “Abby, I need for you to have a drink of juice.” “Taylor, I need for us to leave now.”
You learn a lot about the culture of a place on the children’s playground. You learn a lot about the mind-set of the current crop of parents, and you learn a lot about what the new generation is going to grow up to be like.
Now, I could be wrong, but it occurs to me that by the time these kids are 12 they’re going to be so friggin’ sick of their parents needs that they’ll be telling them “I don’t give a shit about your needs. I’ve got my own needs, or haven’t you noticed? Life’s not all about you, y’know.”
I don’t ever hear the Mexican Nannies speaking to the kids like that, just the ‘sensitive’ American moms and dads.
The Nannies? It’s more like “Emory, come over here.” “Ashley, put your coat on.” “Damon, stop talking like that.” “Jacob, get in the car.” “Christopher, its time to get off the swing.” “Abby, come here and have a drink of juice.” “Taylor, it’s time to go now.” And you know what? The kids listen, and the kids do what is asked of them.
After telling the kids what they, as parents, need, the American moms and dads always end up negotiating with, or bribing, their children to get them to do what they want.
But, the Nannies, having come from a ‘less sophisticated’ environment, probably don’t understand, like we do, that it’s the kid’s job to take care of the parents needs. You’d think they’d learn from the rest of us, wouldn’t you?
Smile!
Why is it that today’s parents are so afraid of their children disliking them, or emotionally abandoning them? Why are they so afraid they’ll hurt their child’s feelings? Why do they so overcompensate, afraid of not doing everything ‘correctly’? Why is it that, as parents, they want to train the kids to respond to their needs, rather than to their requests?
I have my own thoughts on these questions, opinions I find rooted in the stunted development of the baby boomers, my own generation, the parents of these new parents; but I’m not really interested in giving an exposition on the matter. I’m an observer of human behavior, and cultural trends, not a psychologist. As many of you are aware, I do tend to arrive at some pretty definite conclusions on most matters. In this case, however,
‘I need for you to’ arrive at your own.
