Dear Justin Timberlake,
No, I am not on of your screeching fangirls. I am, though, a father of one.
And let me just say: I do not like you, Justin.
There were once days in which my little girl would run to into my arms and want to spend the rest of eternity resting my possession. Now, the only reason she comes to me is to plead me to be the chauffeur for her and her friends on their voyages to watch your live performances. Photos of me and her at the beach taped up on her walls in a disarray have been replaced with large posters of your smug face. She even prefers to listen to strictly your music on car rides, opposed to our routine car sing-alongs.
Justin Timberlake: I hate you, and if we ever meet face-to-face, I plan on wrapping my fingers around your neck and proceed to strangle the life out of your body cavity.
But at the same time, I can't help but to give you thanks for everything you've indirectly done for our relationship. Although they are nothing like our classic tunes, your lyrics do tend to catch on, and make for a little bit of pretty-decent automobile entertainment. And the long drives out to your concerts do bring for some exciting times, and allow me to bond with her (and her seven other fangirl friends, of course).
Most importantly, you are basically my detour to her heart. I always know that buying her your latest released single will leave her smiling and thanking me for days. And when she's down about some boy drama, or a fight amongst her friends, I know to take the computer into her room playing "That Girl". She will try not to smile, but after engaging in a little karaoke session, and hitting all of your high-notes (or not quite), she'll finally break down and we'll finish singing the song together, with her in my arms....just like we used to when she was a little girl.
So with that, I'll give you my thanks. With your help, I can keep my daughter close to me, even if she's no longer my "little girl". Of course, I will never approve of you stealing my daughter's heart. I'll be damned if any other dark-haired handsome man other than myself sweeps her off her feet. But in the meantime, as she is growing up, I don't think I'll have too much of a problem keeping you around for a little while.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Parents....You're Fucking Up!!
Pardon the explicit title, but there didn't seem to be any other way I could find to word this phenomena. Parents of teenagers are taking a parenting turn down the wrong road, and it seems to, ironically, be becoming the road more taken.
Objectively speaking, just as teenagers are nearing the ripe age of 18, many parents are taking it upon themselves to suddenly "buckle down", one may say. They are enforcing stricter rules, being more unreasonable, and becoming down-right meaner.
Is there a reason for this? Well, many parents justify their changes by saying that their children are becoming more unruly, and that they are just adjusting to them. Others claim that they have allowed too much freedom in the past, and are doing it as a last-minute attempt to correct their "mistakes".
And the teenagers? Well, of course, their thoughts are predictable, without even asking them. "This is so unfair." "My parents are too strict." "They never let me do anything!" You get the idea.
Now..for my view on it.
I'm sure many of you could already guess how I feel about this subject, based on the title. I believe that this parenting move is indeed a poor one. But, to your relief, I don't back up my belief with any of the above phrases often heard by teenagers. I, actually, disagree with this strategy solely because I am looking out for the interests of the parents.
Let me elaborate.
In this country, 18 is one of the most important numbers in life. It marks the becoming of a adult for teenagers, and opens up a wide avenue of things that they can do or buy, legally. This age is also the age that many students are about to enter college, and, of course, only one thing is on their minds: PARTY. Based on all of these things, rebellion is a little expected from individuals, although many don't even do that. Regardless of whichever way it goes, many parents decide that this would be the perfect time to "buckle down"--to cross the bridge before getting there, right?
Unfortunately, by attempting to cross a bridge before you get to it, they overstep themselves, and end up in the water.
When parents become unreasonably stricter, even when their children are doing nothing to invoke this behavior, their kids become annoyed. Some even angered. And then one and one thought only acts as their silver lining: 'In __ months, I'll be 18. I'll be an adult. There's nothing they can do to hold me down after that.'
And thus begins the deterioration of the parent-child relationship. The children will become more rebellious in response to their parents new demeanor, and in response to that the parents feel justified for their changes and become even stricter. It's quite a ruthless cycle, really. I've seen dozens of cases where such a pattern results in the children cutting off all communication with their parents after going off to college, especially if they are out-of-state. Some even go to the extent of filing as an independent, so they are legally no longer dependent on their parents. And such situations leave parents heart-broken, wondering where they went wrong, and even maybe regretting not being stricter.
Don't mistaken what I'm saying: There's absolutely nothing wrong with strict parenting. My mother was extremely strict throughout my life, yet we still have a phenomenal relationship despite our distance. What I am saying though is that unreasonable parenting is not the way to go, especially if you're going to start doing it x months before they turn 18.
I do also notice one major trend in parents who suddenly become unreasonable: many do it in a desperate attempt to keep the relationship between them and their kids intact. Many become fearful about how fast they've grown up, and try to keep their children their "baby" for as long as they can, by doing such things as confining them to the house. This trend has been especially present when children enter relationships; parents become panicked that they will no longer be the only man/woman that can make their child happy, and try to keep them away from their significant other. This panicked thinking usually does have the opposite effect, causing teenagers to highly dislike their parents.
Taking everything I've said into consideration, you may want to reconsider taking away you son's/daughter's car key, and try to take a more subtle approach to what you want to do. If your child is indeed acting out, have a talk with them, and if the behavior persists, then you can turn to drastic measures. If they have not displayed any negative changes in their attitude, then there really shouldn't be a need to "buckle down". And if you really want to cling onto your child for the remainder of their high school career, do so in a way that you aren't stripping them of their freedoms, but rather so that they can become more comfortable with you, to the extent that they will be the ones clinging to you. Good activities that apply to the previous sentence include having lunch or dinner together, doing things that they enjoy with them, or even just sitting down with them for an hour or so and having a nice chat.
So parents, don't fear 18yr-olds. It simply means that your child is growing up, just like every other human being in the world. Don't view it as an obstacle that needs to be overcame, but rather embrace it with your teenager. This way, the transition will go much smoother for both parties, and it'll (potentially) be like any normal year, maybe even better.
Objectively speaking, just as teenagers are nearing the ripe age of 18, many parents are taking it upon themselves to suddenly "buckle down", one may say. They are enforcing stricter rules, being more unreasonable, and becoming down-right meaner.
Is there a reason for this? Well, many parents justify their changes by saying that their children are becoming more unruly, and that they are just adjusting to them. Others claim that they have allowed too much freedom in the past, and are doing it as a last-minute attempt to correct their "mistakes".
And the teenagers? Well, of course, their thoughts are predictable, without even asking them. "This is so unfair." "My parents are too strict." "They never let me do anything!" You get the idea.
Now..for my view on it.
I'm sure many of you could already guess how I feel about this subject, based on the title. I believe that this parenting move is indeed a poor one. But, to your relief, I don't back up my belief with any of the above phrases often heard by teenagers. I, actually, disagree with this strategy solely because I am looking out for the interests of the parents.
Let me elaborate.
In this country, 18 is one of the most important numbers in life. It marks the becoming of a adult for teenagers, and opens up a wide avenue of things that they can do or buy, legally. This age is also the age that many students are about to enter college, and, of course, only one thing is on their minds: PARTY. Based on all of these things, rebellion is a little expected from individuals, although many don't even do that. Regardless of whichever way it goes, many parents decide that this would be the perfect time to "buckle down"--to cross the bridge before getting there, right?
Unfortunately, by attempting to cross a bridge before you get to it, they overstep themselves, and end up in the water.
When parents become unreasonably stricter, even when their children are doing nothing to invoke this behavior, their kids become annoyed. Some even angered. And then one and one thought only acts as their silver lining: 'In __ months, I'll be 18. I'll be an adult. There's nothing they can do to hold me down after that.'
And thus begins the deterioration of the parent-child relationship. The children will become more rebellious in response to their parents new demeanor, and in response to that the parents feel justified for their changes and become even stricter. It's quite a ruthless cycle, really. I've seen dozens of cases where such a pattern results in the children cutting off all communication with their parents after going off to college, especially if they are out-of-state. Some even go to the extent of filing as an independent, so they are legally no longer dependent on their parents. And such situations leave parents heart-broken, wondering where they went wrong, and even maybe regretting not being stricter.
Don't mistaken what I'm saying: There's absolutely nothing wrong with strict parenting. My mother was extremely strict throughout my life, yet we still have a phenomenal relationship despite our distance. What I am saying though is that unreasonable parenting is not the way to go, especially if you're going to start doing it x months before they turn 18.
I do also notice one major trend in parents who suddenly become unreasonable: many do it in a desperate attempt to keep the relationship between them and their kids intact. Many become fearful about how fast they've grown up, and try to keep their children their "baby" for as long as they can, by doing such things as confining them to the house. This trend has been especially present when children enter relationships; parents become panicked that they will no longer be the only man/woman that can make their child happy, and try to keep them away from their significant other. This panicked thinking usually does have the opposite effect, causing teenagers to highly dislike their parents.
Taking everything I've said into consideration, you may want to reconsider taking away you son's/daughter's car key, and try to take a more subtle approach to what you want to do. If your child is indeed acting out, have a talk with them, and if the behavior persists, then you can turn to drastic measures. If they have not displayed any negative changes in their attitude, then there really shouldn't be a need to "buckle down". And if you really want to cling onto your child for the remainder of their high school career, do so in a way that you aren't stripping them of their freedoms, but rather so that they can become more comfortable with you, to the extent that they will be the ones clinging to you. Good activities that apply to the previous sentence include having lunch or dinner together, doing things that they enjoy with them, or even just sitting down with them for an hour or so and having a nice chat.
So parents, don't fear 18yr-olds. It simply means that your child is growing up, just like every other human being in the world. Don't view it as an obstacle that needs to be overcame, but rather embrace it with your teenager. This way, the transition will go much smoother for both parties, and it'll (potentially) be like any normal year, maybe even better.
Friday, November 1, 2013
GASP: SPYING?!?!
I hate what has been on the news recently.
Apparently, it is such a big outrage that the United States has been spying on American citizens and international figures.
And I literally want to strangle myself every time I hear about it.
This is the dandy thing about government: during your time, no one remembers all the shit that was put in place prior to your time serving the country. And this is exactly what is happening to Barack Hussein Obama.
I feel as if this is what happened: When he was inaugurated in 2009, the NSA took Obama around and was like, "Yeah, this is our spying systems, this is how it works, we've been doing it for years and its been working, you won't even know we're here." And Obama was like, "Sure, ohkay, keep doing what you've been doing." And now that the NSA has come under hot water, they've stuck the President in the center of attention and booked it. And Obama's being bombarded with all these accusations and questions, and he's probably looking around like, "I THOUGHT EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT THISSSS".
I understand why the average American would frown upon the activities of the NSA. Because it invades their "privacy", right? Well, I hate to break it to all you, but "privacy" isn't what gives you the peace of mind to sleep at night, nor is it a synonym of "freedom".
This "spying" that the NSA has been doing is in order to catch/stop terrorist from hurting us and our country. It's not as simple, or lucrative as one would think; they aren't sitting watching me type this at this very moment, nor are they listening to every phone conversation you have. Yes, they do have jurisdiction to spy on you without any real reason, but it would just be a waste of time to watch a 80-year old man pop his bunion, than keep track of notorious figure that has just traveled to the States from Iran. They know to stay within particular boundaries, to some extent.
What makes me laugh the most is the outrage that everyone is having..over something that dates back years. I also don't understand why everyone keeps dodging responsibility for this; these different branches keep claiming that they had "no clue" about the NSA doing this. Because it's obvious that they did....EVERYONE KNEW. Everyone knows because it's not something that just started overnight; our nation has been spying on individuals for over a decade, if not more. I'm ready for someone to grow some balls and say, "Guess what? Yeah, we spy. Guess what? We all know about it. But guess who gets to go to sleep with the peace of mind that no airstrikes will occur in the middle of the night? That's right. YOU. So please, resume your daily activities, my fellow Americans, and let us worry about what we do (and have been doing) the best."
Apparently, it is such a big outrage that the United States has been spying on American citizens and international figures.
And I literally want to strangle myself every time I hear about it.
This is the dandy thing about government: during your time, no one remembers all the shit that was put in place prior to your time serving the country. And this is exactly what is happening to Barack Hussein Obama.
I feel as if this is what happened: When he was inaugurated in 2009, the NSA took Obama around and was like, "Yeah, this is our spying systems, this is how it works, we've been doing it for years and its been working, you won't even know we're here." And Obama was like, "Sure, ohkay, keep doing what you've been doing." And now that the NSA has come under hot water, they've stuck the President in the center of attention and booked it. And Obama's being bombarded with all these accusations and questions, and he's probably looking around like, "I THOUGHT EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT THISSSS".
I understand why the average American would frown upon the activities of the NSA. Because it invades their "privacy", right? Well, I hate to break it to all you, but "privacy" isn't what gives you the peace of mind to sleep at night, nor is it a synonym of "freedom".
This "spying" that the NSA has been doing is in order to catch/stop terrorist from hurting us and our country. It's not as simple, or lucrative as one would think; they aren't sitting watching me type this at this very moment, nor are they listening to every phone conversation you have. Yes, they do have jurisdiction to spy on you without any real reason, but it would just be a waste of time to watch a 80-year old man pop his bunion, than keep track of notorious figure that has just traveled to the States from Iran. They know to stay within particular boundaries, to some extent.
What makes me laugh the most is the outrage that everyone is having..over something that dates back years. I also don't understand why everyone keeps dodging responsibility for this; these different branches keep claiming that they had "no clue" about the NSA doing this. Because it's obvious that they did....EVERYONE KNEW. Everyone knows because it's not something that just started overnight; our nation has been spying on individuals for over a decade, if not more. I'm ready for someone to grow some balls and say, "Guess what? Yeah, we spy. Guess what? We all know about it. But guess who gets to go to sleep with the peace of mind that no airstrikes will occur in the middle of the night? That's right. YOU. So please, resume your daily activities, my fellow Americans, and let us worry about what we do (and have been doing) the best."
Wake Me Up When The Government Comes Back
I can't believe it really has been 3months since my last post. My deepest apologizes; school has been as hectic as ever, and the workload is never-ending.
So what's been going on since then and now? The government has been spiraling into a black hole, that's what!! Whoever thought that the Republicans wouldn't go this far to fuck things up for everyone else..look at us now!
I'm not a super left-winged person, but I feel as if we can all agree that the House Republicans seem to be the main ones screwing the pooch. Who would've known that some people would be so against a healthcare plan that encompasses everyone?
Here it is in a nutshell: Everything revolves around the spending bill. The duty to pass this bill is held by Congress; which, at this point in time, remains "a house divided", with the Republican-led House of Representatives and the Democrat-run Senate. The House Republicans insist on any bill that is passed include provisions that would in theory stop "Obamacare", while the Senate Democrats won't allow it. No consensus=no spending bill. No spending bill=no government.
I find this to be one of the situations in which Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth would bash their heads against the insides of their caskets, shouting "Not like that, you idiots!" [Note: Sherman and Ellsworth were the delegates from Connecticut whom proposed this concept of a dual system of congressional representation, which is commonly known as the Great Compromise.] The whole reason for the two houses is them to "check" on each other, preventing one house from having too much power. But the type of "checks" that our government is carrying out only brought everything to a stalemate.
Although the government is back running, the Republican party has definitely taken quite a beating for being the cause of a national government shutdown. It's actually quite interesting to see how the House Republicans reacted to the government shutdown; it was like many of them (let me emphasize, NOT all of them) were like, "Ehh, a shutdown may actually do this country some good. Let the citizens suffer a bit, so they can see what it's like." My problems with that mindset are a.) LIKE OVER ONE-EIGHT OF THE COUNTRY IS LIVING IN POVERTY IT WON'T BE THE FIRST TIME THEY EXPERIENCE SUFFERING, and b.) these Congress members were definitely still being paid during this period, so they don't even "suffer" for their own actions.
Despite everyone seeing the flaws with the Republican party through this shutdown, its computed to be highly unlikely that power will change hands through this coming elections, mainly due to the large number of seats that Democrats would have to win to reclaim the majority (19; largest historical change was 9 seats).
I feel as if the Republicans tried to make Obama and the Democratic party look like the bad guys in this situation, but they basically turned the tables on themselves.
Better luck next time.
(P.S.: If you haven't seen it, go watch the SNL Miley Cyrus music video parody, called 'We Did Stop'. It is perfection.)
So what's been going on since then and now? The government has been spiraling into a black hole, that's what!! Whoever thought that the Republicans wouldn't go this far to fuck things up for everyone else..look at us now!
I'm not a super left-winged person, but I feel as if we can all agree that the House Republicans seem to be the main ones screwing the pooch. Who would've known that some people would be so against a healthcare plan that encompasses everyone?
Here it is in a nutshell: Everything revolves around the spending bill. The duty to pass this bill is held by Congress; which, at this point in time, remains "a house divided", with the Republican-led House of Representatives and the Democrat-run Senate. The House Republicans insist on any bill that is passed include provisions that would in theory stop "Obamacare", while the Senate Democrats won't allow it. No consensus=no spending bill. No spending bill=no government.
I find this to be one of the situations in which Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth would bash their heads against the insides of their caskets, shouting "Not like that, you idiots!" [Note: Sherman and Ellsworth were the delegates from Connecticut whom proposed this concept of a dual system of congressional representation, which is commonly known as the Great Compromise.] The whole reason for the two houses is them to "check" on each other, preventing one house from having too much power. But the type of "checks" that our government is carrying out only brought everything to a stalemate.
Although the government is back running, the Republican party has definitely taken quite a beating for being the cause of a national government shutdown. It's actually quite interesting to see how the House Republicans reacted to the government shutdown; it was like many of them (let me emphasize, NOT all of them) were like, "Ehh, a shutdown may actually do this country some good. Let the citizens suffer a bit, so they can see what it's like." My problems with that mindset are a.) LIKE OVER ONE-EIGHT OF THE COUNTRY IS LIVING IN POVERTY IT WON'T BE THE FIRST TIME THEY EXPERIENCE SUFFERING, and b.) these Congress members were definitely still being paid during this period, so they don't even "suffer" for their own actions.
Despite everyone seeing the flaws with the Republican party through this shutdown, its computed to be highly unlikely that power will change hands through this coming elections, mainly due to the large number of seats that Democrats would have to win to reclaim the majority (19; largest historical change was 9 seats).
I feel as if the Republicans tried to make Obama and the Democratic party look like the bad guys in this situation, but they basically turned the tables on themselves.
Better luck next time.
(P.S.: If you haven't seen it, go watch the SNL Miley Cyrus music video parody, called 'We Did Stop'. It is perfection.)
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