Boys will be boys

I was listening to the radio just about half an hour ago, one of those radio talk shows where people call in and desperately grab their thirty seconds of fame. Well, one lady in particular called in complaining about how her little ten year old boy was drawing violent pictures of stick figures at war. Seemed she was desperate to find out what she had done wrong to raise such an evil creature.

I find it irritating that people are becoming so fearful of children turning into serial killers that they are prohibiting them from being kids. Whatever happened to the innocence of youth? I had half a mind to call into the show at scream at the lady. It’s not unnatural for a young boy to be interested in war. Hell, when I was a kid all my friends and I used to pretend we were soldiers. Even though our parents wouldn’t let us near toy guns, we’d pick up sticks and acorns and have pretend wars. Every lunch time we’d have some teacher give us hell for wrecking the school’s gardens, but not for being violent. Back then it was expected of young boys to be violent.

But parents these days are so afraid of being seen as good parents that they try desperately to raise their children as perfect, innocent little angels. And I’d bet they’re doing more damage to their kids with their vain attempts than if they were to just let them be kids. And then when their teen sons start rebelling and stop wanting to hang out with them and instead go to clubs with their friends the parents think they’re child is the only one doing it. They think their teenage son/daughter has come out wrong, has gone bad. And so they look for things to blame, because of course it’s unnatural.

Children will play games with toy soldiers. Teenagers are going to start calling their parents stupid and stop listening to them. It’s not a sign that you’ve done something wrong. It’s just growing up. It’s being human. So calm the fuck down and stop being overbearing and protective dictators of your childs life. Or they WILL grow up to hate you. And it will be your fault.

And yet I have the vague feeling I’m going to be repeating this very arguement sometime within the next year or so.