Thread: good dad or bad dad

Grow up in a farming background, your kids would be up milking cows at 6am, and expected to help with the farmwork all year round, and generally be expected to take care of themselves. So getting your eldest to make his own lunch and iron a shirt isn't exactly chid abuse.

I guess I see why people would be worried about leaving their kids at the mall on their own these days, with the amount of creepy bastards that get reported in the news, but a 12 year old should be more than capable of going to a movie by himself.

In my opinion (not a parent), what you're doing is teaching your kids how to be independent, and respect for the fact that things in life have to be earned, something that's sorely lacking in kids this day and age.

Ale has been using power tools since he was 4..

I'll now let him take the wheel nuts off of the car with the rattle gun unsupervised, he makes his own breakfast (when he can reach it), crosses the road independently and wants to ride to school.

I'm prepared to let him take all the responsability he can prove he can handle.

I think you're doing the right thing.

I think its great that you're teaching your kids to be responsible. How are they going to grow up to be responsible adults unless they learn to be responsible about small things?
Our kids had responsibilities and, as they demonstrated they could be relied on, both their responsibilies and their rewards were increased.
I agree with Ron that the level of crime is exaggerated, although certainly real. For example, the road toll has been falling for two decades, but you rarely read about that.
Obviously parents have to be careful, but that's doable. Dropping kids at a shopping centre should be OK. For example, in the tragic Daniel Morecombe case, why was he standing on the side of the road at a place which was not even a proper bus stop?

I think you are doing a great job.

I see way to many "Helicopter parents" back home.... Those that hover over their 'little angels' covering them in cotton wool.

Those kids know nothing, have no understanding of responsibility and are totally clueless along with an over inflated sense of self worth.

People need to teach their kids that they are NOT special... That they need to EARN their place in the world - not expect it to be given to them on a silver platter.

I was making my own way to school from age 5...

Walked to the local Deli for milk (& 5c bags of Lollies! ) when I was 5yo and been fiercely independent ever since.

I think you Sir, should be applauded.

Our kids have been the same since they were little as we both work shifts as well.

Now our live in Son (18) does all his laundry, prepares about 40% of the meals etc. (but can't keep room tidy - go figure) and works shifts himself.

As for worse out there now. No way.
We had kiddy fiddlers, strange men in cars with sweets etc back then too.
We were just taught to steer clear.

All sounds good to me Weeds.

Do it your own way as long as the kids are comfortable with it, as they will benefit in the long run.

There is no exact, definitive nor perfectly correct way to raise children.

It is something I have noticed with my younger friends. Society has evolved to expect parents to be slaves to their children. If you don't sacrifice all to and mollycoddle your offspring you are socially stigmatised as a bad parent (as your critic at work has been 'programmed' to do). Go to any school and see how many are driven there where in my school years ('60's) nearly everyone made their own way. Both my parents worked and left home at 7am and got back after 5pm. They worked hard and provided well for their children. Today we would be labelled 'latch key kids' and our parents demonised for abandoning us to their materialism and greed (ACA expose).

Keep up your good parenting. Children are a part of a family not its centre and focus, perhaps that is why our youth is now often called the 'me' generation.

BTW - Tell your work colleague to go pull his head in...

I was raised this way, and it did me well. However many kids are proper little ****s (or become so at a certain age) and that is when things can go wrong and if you aren't there you won't know.
There may be no issue with yours, perhaps they are well grounded and haev themselves worked out just fine. If they have hobbies and interests and activities that is also in their favour (the ones with no interests at all, that just brood and mope around and say 'theres nothing to do' are quicker in to trouble) However I would be seriously considering a change of hours for one of you for the next umm..... 9 years? lol