Thursday, September 24, 2009

It's only a game!

It truly freaks me out when I see parents with bad behavior, that these people were blessed with children, that they think they can actually be good parents...what were they thinking? Our family went to the Renaissance Festival a week ago. If you have ever gone, you know that its a grand time of costumes, face paintings and silly moments. You have to love it! We had a blast, the boys couldn't get enough. HOWEVER, some parents seem to come with a different agenda - not to have fun, not to bond with their child, not to even enjoy the moment or fact that they are alive. There are lots of games at this event, most of which require that you shoot something, whether a ball or arrow into a tiny (very tiny) hole a distance from where you are standing. The shooting device that you use, is not calibrated or refined - it is a crudely made wooden or metal object that only requires you to pull a string back and let it go. Where your arrow goes or lands is a total mystery. Yet, one father, standing next to us, as my 3 sons are shooting balls ALL OVER the place and we are laughing and cheering each other on, THIS father felt it necessary to snap at his son (probably age 6). When the "maid" on the other side of the game kindly said to the little boy "don't worry, everyone misses, its just a game", the father quips back "not him". He then snatches the bow out of the kids hand and marches off. The "maid" was quite annoyed and said a few choice words under her breath but still rather loudly. I asked her if this happened often? Her very sad and shocking answer was "yes, all the time". She proceeded to tell me how disturbing it was to her to witness this behavior. It's a GAME people!!! A GAME - you know, what you do to have fun and share with others? Doesn't it make you wonder what will happen to these children as they grow - will they suffer depression, mental illness, smokers, alcoholics, eating disorders? Will they grow up to be bullies like their dad? I just find this so very sad. Though I will say, it made me appreciate my day at the festival with the boys even more and just throw myself into enjoying every moment with them. So while I say "shame on you nasty bully dad", I also say "thanks nasty bully day for making me enjoy my day even more - sorry you missed out".

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