Classic Fries #10: Family Situations

We are back with Classic Fries! Every Saturday, we will pull something from The Museum and reprint it for those to enjoy! This gives those a chance who never got a chance to read it the first time a second chance, since the Museum itself is so large and its hard for anyone to decide where to begin.

Now for this week, we go back to the days of RJ-NET.BLOG. As well all know, RJ-NET.BLOG set the stage for the multi-author format that we swear by today. One of those pioneers is known other than THE PICK! So, without further ado, I introduce to you Mr. Juno Sound, the one, the only... THE PICK!

This was a post I threw up on RJ-NET.BLOG. I still agree with everything that I said. In fact, I am so right that I want to give myself a high five at its sheer awesomeness. If you don't agree with me, you are wrong. ;-p  

Originally Posted Friday, November 12, 2004

Don't Tread on Me Vol 3: Family Situations

    So many people in this nation blame society's woes on everything around them; everything from education to TV is blamed for children's piss-poor behavior, and everyone nods their empty heads like sheep in a fit of glorified self-agreement. Well, the buck stops here: yes, kids are misbehaving because of poor examples; their parents.

    Don't get me wrong, I did my share of acting up. But the buck stopped, and eventually I had to face my parents. The buck stopped at mom, and if she needed backup, she'd call my dad. That went for both before and after the divorce.

    The reason I'm ranting about this is because at my job, where I work with a cross-section of America, I was drafted into a parenting situation in which I had no business. It was merely a question of service that my company provides, and whether I would give it to her son.

    "So if I were to disconnect my service, could he call up and get it re-connected in his name?" she asked. It starts.

    "Not if he's under 18, no," I replied.

    "Well, how will you know if he's under 18?"

    "Driver's license, Social Security Number... He has to be 18 to have service in his name."

    "No, you don't understand. He looks every bit 18."

    I was getting irked, so I decided to bring out the big guns and put this moron in her place. "Ma'aam," I started, "if you don't want him hooking up service in your house, don't you think that's your responsibility to explain that to him? He's living under your roof, ma'aam. Whether we'll hook him up with service or not doesn't matter, from the company's perspective. This is your house; it's not our problem if he tries to do that. With all due respect, it's on your shoulders to control what your underage son does."

    "Well," she said, obviously exasperated about how right I was, "I can't control him."

    I hadn't bit my tongue all night on this one, but I figured that now was a good place to start doing it. Sure, I wouldn't have been wrong in saying "It's your kid, lady. It's not the government's job to control him, nor is it the educational system, the local police, or the cable company's." But, I figured at this point her mind was already made up that she was the victim, and I couldn't help but agree; she was the victim of her own shitty parenting.

    If you have a kid, don't call your damned cable company for assistance controlling him.