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Geoff's Blog

Look Them in the Eye

3/9/2009 Comment on This

Looking people in the eye is one of the keys of life. When my kids were little, I could never get over the fact that parents of youngsters would let the inmates run the asylum. In places like Costco or the grocery store, the kids would run wild. The parents would not even say a word in many cases.

Not that I am the perfect parent, but when my son would try to run wild and knock into a cart, I would grab him by the arm (uh oh--lookout--someone will call the DCFS!) I would have him look into the person's eyes and apologize.

Where have we gone wrong as parents? Where is the respect? It's not the kid's fault, it's your fault. When kids come over to play, "AHHHHHHHH" is not an acceptable greeting. It's "Hello" and "How are you?" Is that too much to ask?

Kids need structure, not the coddling that constantly goes on today. I am not strict, but demanding a "Hello, how are you?" is not too tough. Do you think you are doing your kids a favor by not raising them to be polite?

I was at a restaurant the other day, and I went over to say hello to some friends. The kids looked down at their meals. No "Hello," no "How are you?" Mom and dad sat like a couple of schmucks. They should've looked over to their kids and said, "Say hello to Mr. Pinkus." And when they got home, mom and dad probably told them to go do their homework.

I have news for you, ladies and gentleman: school will only get them a part of the way. If your child, who has no grace or social skills, interviews for a job against a person who has a little less grace but a whole lot more going for them, your kid will lose. You're not doing your kids any favors by permitting them to be smug, arrogant, and unfriendly unless you want them to get a job where they sit in a closet and put their ideas under the crack of the door.

Wake up and run the asylum yourself. If the DCFS comes, look them in the eye and tell them to get lost. You run the ship, not them or your kids.

Am I too harsh? Tell me what you think.