I
know a lot of young people and talk to them a lot because I want to
understand the culture of young American people as my adult children
are of their culture. A lot of my coworkers would discuss their
problems with me because they could not talk to their parents openly
and are afraid that they will get yelled at.
Just
about twenty years ago a teenage coworker of mine was on the verge of
crying because he was yelled at and was threatened to be thrown out
of his parent 's house by his dad and his mom would not do anything
to stop his dad. His dad had a very bad habit of using harsh words
and bad language. The kid's offense?
He
was not careful not to drop crumbs on the kitchen floor as he ate. I
told him that I would get upset too as he is not a toddler. To that
he asked me if I make a mess on the kitchen floor. I laughed and I
said that I don't. He said that every single meal his dad makes a
circle of food on the floor and his mom cleans that up without a fuss
as his dad was very tired from work and she did not want to start a
fight. I asked him if he had a stepfather he said that his father is
his birth father and looks a lot like him. He hated that and wished
that he did not look like his father. I was really sorry for that
young man and he said that one more year he will be out of the house
anyway and his aunt offered to keep him in her house until then.
I
am not so sure if he ever went to college or he is still working as a
store associate. It does not matter because he had told me that
whenever he has a child he will not yell at him or her for the same
mistake he would make.
I
told him that it would also be a good idea if we do not use bad words
with our children to begin with. He agreed.
I
am so glad that this young man had decided not to create a cycle of
bad treatment because his father treated him horribly.
I
am also happy that most of today's parents are smart enough to teach by
example rather than by punishments and threats and are careful about
how they talk.
Happy
Father's day to all fathers (young and old), step fathers,
grandfathers, and foster parents.
In the television show "Frasier", Niles Crane dresses like his dad Martin Crane as they were dressing for "my hero" theme for Halloween.
