LEN's Grade 10 Blog:

Hello! There are many reasons for you to have stumbled upon my blog. Maybe you know me from somewhere else on the net -my deviantART, my YouTube, among other things- but whatever the reason is, the main thing to know about this blog is that it's old! That's right, ancient~ (Or at least in terms of the internet) However, it is part of my personal history, so it would feel wrong for me to permanently remove it.

So I'm just going to let it sit here to rot, and hope that it blends well into it's surroundings.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Are Parents Too Protective? -draft

-Run a spell check:  "There is one lonely, sad, little boy somewhere, buried deep within several feet of snow.  His muffled cries to his passing neighbors go unheard, for his wails do not penetrate the the thick, white sheet of new fallen powder that now rests above his head.  Though he lay there for only but an hour, the swiftness of the morning storm took only a few seconds to settle-in and go from bad to worse.  Upon that hour, there were only a few flakes drifting silently through the air as he was making his way towards his neighborhood bus stop, but he soon became bombarded by a wall of wet, sticky whiteness, that even a man of perfect vision would have trouble seeing through.  This morning had been no different than any other morning, only for the fact that his mother had given him a new supper industrialised jacket.  A jacket capable of withstanding fifty degree below zero temperatures, and was pattend with a seal of approval by the "Mother's Working For The Safety Of All Future Children's" association; a jacket that would make any safety-fetish mother proud to place on her son(regardless of the $199.99 jaw-dropping price tag.)  If only she had of known the dangers she was inflicting upon her poor, innocent child, then maybe she would have reconsidered strapping him into such a thick amount of fabric, thus trapping where is now.  He was bound so tightly by that wretched thing, that he could hardly stand on his own two feet, let alone walk out to catch the bus.  He had no other choice but to waddle his way towards the end of his driveway, down the street, and on to the yellow bench that sat next to the bus stop sign.  He would have made it too, if it wasn't for that sudden gust of wind that knocked him off his feet, and sent him tumbling down the edge of the road.  That salty sidewalk met him in the face ten times over before he finally came to a  rolling stop.  And now, there he lays, helpless as a turtle turned over onto it's shell, destined not to be found for yet another four hours, unable to move or to so much as shift his legs from side to side.  Such is the life of an over protected child.

  This may seem like an over-dramatized event, but in today's world it is not uncommon for parents to got to such measure when preparing their children for the day ahead.  There seem to be a rising trend of overprotective parents appearing in society; bundling there children in absurd amounts of supper durable, hypoallergenic, reflective-tape clothing; holding them by the hands has they cautiously make their way through playground equipment; lathering them by the bottle in 100 SPF sunscreen, etc.  Going to such trouble appears to be totally obnoxious, yet, despite their neighbor's remarks, they continue to pursue in their obsession with protection.  For when it comes to their young's "personal health and safety", they are hypnotised into believing that "one can never be too careful." There are so many over-protective adults around these days, that it feels as though the entire population has somehow become dulled to the notion that all of this really isn't necessary, and that humanity as a whole, is completely oblivious to the fact that we are taking the safety of our youth way too seriously! 
Which brings us to the question: Are today's parents too protective for their own good?

  "Although you may not want to hear this, it's about time that you should.  Being over-Protective, is cross-contradictory, and dose more harm than good."  Basically, it defeats the purpose of teaching your child right from wrong, and showing them what hurts and what doesn't.  Children need to know that "if you play with fire, you are libel to get burned", and the only way they can possible learn that is through self exploration.  You see, as far as telling your child "Stove's hot, don't touch it!", they are never going to take your word for it, and every time you turn your back, you are going to find them reaching for that burner no matter what you tell them.  People, regardless of age or level of maturity, naturally learn through their mistakes, and as far as children go, they have a lot of learning to do and a lot of mistakes to be made before they can enter adulthood. 

  I have seen parents who have developed so much of a phobia of  letting their child participating in physical activities of any kind, in which their son or daughter may or may not have the the slightest chance of getting hurt, that they have gone to the length of having them dress in full body armor.  How much running around can you do in that?... Absolutely nothing!  The poor dears are sweating from head to tow in those things.  I could see you making your child wear elbow and knee pads, say, when rollerblading, but to make them where wear a helmet when... sliding?  What is becoming of the world?!  (A world where kids have to carry cellphones with them just to go visit a friends house, and be supervised by their parents when they go to play outdoors) any more than that and I'd expect a pig baring wings to be nestled at the edge of my windowsill, and staring me in the face when I wake up next morning.  But in all seriousness, if you want your little tike to be healthy and fit, then you need to let them have freedom to move around a little.  Let your child go play ball in the park, let them go walking to their friends house; children need physical activity in their lives (at least thirty minuets of it each day) and a great way for them to get that, is through exploration in the great outdoors.  Sports are another great way to have your child become physically active, and seeing as they are made readily available to you and your child through the school system, there are really no excuses when it comes to having your child be involved in after school actives such as organised sports.  With all the of the studies that have been done on the growing problem of childhood obesity, then you would think that there would be more parents take action to this unhealthy trend.  You may say that you are, but in actuality, your sense of safety for your child over rides the fact that he/she is morbidly obese, and therefore you yourself are contributing to the problem, go figure.

  Most kids' favourite pass time when at school has shifted from running around at recess and climbing on playground equipment, to sitting and talking with friends.  Many people are finding that younger children (girls in particular) are becoming very over dramatic and "teen-like", well no wonder?  If you let little girls sit and talk about whatever is on their minds, day in and day out, it won't be long before their conversations begin to mimic that of their parents.  Our constant reminder of how we are expecting them to act like little ladies, is actually turning them into little ladies.  Girls having relationships with guys at the age of eight and fantasizing over famous celebrities such as "Justin Bieber"? What ever happened to the "cooties"?  Did all the little boys get their "cootie shots" without us realising?  Girls in elementary should not have to know the feeling of a brake-up, yet that is the world that they have become accustom to and are living every day of their lives.  Teen Pregnancy likely steams from this, and who to thank but,... the parents?  Makes you wonder, doesn't it?  Now do you reconsider letting your take part in activities other than "sitting and talking?"  Children and teens who exhibit such traits are often referred to as "Proto Teens" or "Proto Adults", which means that through high-expectancy/highly protective parenting, they have somehow over their child skipped years and have become absorbed into teen and adult mainstream cultures.  Which, again, resorts to further physiological issues issues later on in life.  Children grow up way too fast as it is, and now they are "maturing" even faster. 

  Most parents are correct in saying that there are precautions that need to be taken in almost of every you go to do, and that is true.  I could ramble on far longer about adults that neglect their young one's needs, more than I could about parents that do to much catering for little saplings, but that is not the point.  You see, it is understandable to believe that your child will get hurt if you are not tentative to them all of the time, that's just the way kids work, but it is unreasonable to think that you can be with them through all of their endeavors.  In doing that, you are putting way to much stress on you and your family.  As much as you would like to, you can't be there to fight all their battles for them.  I know, it truly is heartbreaking to picture your child being picked-on by somebody else without you there to put a stop to them, but sooner or later there comes a time when they will have to stand up for themselves and take action in one way or another.  As a parent, you feel the helplessness of your offspring tugging at your sleeves when you are not with them, but the worst possible thing that you could do for them is to react to that calling. What you need to do is prepare them; arm them for for future battles in their life.  Give them the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in winning a fight, in overcoming a challenge.  Maybe you can't be their with them in body, but you can be with them them in spirit.  Support them, give them advice, but don't step in the ring for them (It is understandable in some situations, but in others, the help of mother/father is unneeded and can actually do more harm than good.) There arises other problems latter on in life that come from parents stepping-in for young all the time.  Mother and father can't always be there for them in the adult world.  Health problems (both mental and physical), Social issues, stress, problems in upholding relationships, all of those things come from the "false shield" that parents hold over there kids when they are growing up.  You can't lead your child through life carrying that shield over their heads, because in the real world, there is no holding back.  You have to let your child know from an early stage that "life is not easy", and that "trillions of people before you have come to live through it and see the light at the end of the tunnel, an so can you."  Don't feel scared to lower your guard a little, your children need to learn that life is no all fun and games and the only way that they can possibly know that is through experiencing it first hand, for themselves. 

VI. Conclusion:
1. Summary of main points or reasons
2. Restate thesis statement.
3. Personal comment or a call to action.

When babies are first born, they seem to be so delicate and fragile.  One false move feels as though it could cost them their life, and who's to say it wouldn't.  Children at such age are subject to so many dangers that it is really our most defining part of our lives, healthwise that is.  We need to feel our mother and father's love and protection in order to survive.  But, their comes a time later on in life

Giving audolecents their space,
prevokes maturity/ bread into you, holding your child by the hand/ babies seem so...delicate and fragile, one false move feels as though it could cost them their life, and who's to say it wouldn't.  When we are at such a younge age, we are so very subseptable to... are parents are a sheild/ their comes a time when you have to let that hand go, but many parents imidiat reaction is to retaliate saying "oh, its too soon" but you can't hold on forever, you have t oknow when to let go.  There is no need to worry if you will do it to soon, for you should know when the time is right, you just will, and if not, then your children will be the ones to tell you/ when your called upon, you have to let go.  I understand that it can be a very emotional time during your adult life, but you have to be able to breath in and except all the sign that you are recieving from your child when it is time to do so. / "Its, alright momy, I can do it./mummy, can I go to a friends house?" That is an indicator, and if you don't react, it brakes that scence of confidence held within them, and has major consiquences later in life.  You will develope a more stronger trust in your child thought time, it just takes a while for you to get used to them being off on their own, that's all.  When you come/stop to think about it, do you really want your child to be stuck living in your basment for the rest of their life, because in doing things like not letting them go to a friends house to spend the night and have a sleep over or something like that, you are leading them, hand in hand, down that path into a pit of darkness.  Your child needs to be able to beleive in themself, no child is born unconfident, but if you continue to shorten their leash, then they can never florish into that selfasured, loving person that you can trust.  Alowing yourself to cut them off from the rest of the world is not what you want to do, children need to be able to play and interact with other children their age, and if you don't let them be a part of that, then you are unknowingly, slowly crushing that inner feeling of "I can do that." They can never acheive their dreams or perserver in any way through you holding them back.

1. Do this through writer's instinct:
2. Are parents too protective, it depends on how you look at the situation/ Yes, they are!
3. *State how I will implemt this piece of knowledge with my future children.