Just when I think I can’t be surprised by anything anyone says or does, life reminds me that I should know better. Cynics of the world, I have returned to your fold.

Case in point.

My family and I attended a birthday party for the three-year-old daughter of some friends of ours this weekend. Jonathan and Aidan love her to death and even though it was billed as a “Princess Dress Up Party”, the boys had a great time. These are good people, and those of you who know me know I don’t say things like that lightly.

The guest list was small, and was comprised mostly of relatives from both sides of the family, as well as a couple of select friends. It was a nice, comfortable gathering and the kids were all having loads of fun. Taking a break on the couch with my wife, we got involved in a dissertation from the little girl’s Aunt on how we were all poisoning ourselves and our children with the food we’re eating, and how innovations such as pasteurized milk were causing all of us to have terrible immune systems.

No, really… I’m serious.

Not wanting to start an unneeded argument, I quietly bit my tongue and let her rant. At some point during the diatribe, my youngest started throwing some toys around the room. Being particular about my kids’ actions in anyone’s home, I corrected him and he went on to play with something else. Not to lose the focus of attention, the Aunt piped up “You know, you’re very negative. Kids need to be built up. It makes me sad.”.

Needless to say, I was stunned. After taking a half second to stop the “Who the !@#$ do you think you are” building up in my head I simply replied, “You shouldn’t be. Our children are actually very well adjusted.”. You would have thought that should have ended it, but she wasn’t giving in that easily. “Well, Shannon does a great job with them.” she shot back. I could feel the blood rush to my face.

I take great pride in putting my children first and Shannon and I work very hard on balancing encouragement and discipline to guide the growth of our kids. The thought that someone with a few minutes of observation had deemed me an improper father just raised my hackles significantly.

“Actually, we work as a team.” I firmly replied. “We raise our children together.”. Shannon at that point reiterated the sentiment, and the conversation finally shifted. After a few more uncomfortable minutes, she got up and left the room not to be heard from for the remainder of the visit. Funny enough, through all of this altercation and throughout the party her husband took great care to follow his kids around and make sure they were behaving correctly. Go figure.

Now, is it me or are these the same people who are blaming television and video games for their kids picking off classmates from the roof with a sniper rifle? It’s absolutely unbelievable to me that blind acceptance has pervaded our society to this level. Common sense and good value judgment have been done away with by the touchy-feely crowd in the guise of sensitivity and compassion, while refusing any level of personal responsibility for their actions (or that of their progeny). As someone once said to me, “It makes me sad…”

Phil Malmstrom
philm@mycoffeecuphasfeet.com