I'm wondering what an appropriate amount of sharing is between My Future Kids and I regarding certain less reputable activities (I'm talking about getting high right now). Right now I'm considering two of my friends in particular who enjoy this particular pastime a fair amount and how I would react as one of their parents. Honestly, there would be nothing I could do to stop them per se, even if attempting to stop them would be the right thing to do. I guess the best I could do is tell them to be safe, ban them from smoking in the house, and refuse to fund them if their grades get too low. To be fair, the biggest pothead I know was also one of the most ass-brilliant people I know, at least that was the impression I got the last time I saw him in 9th or 10th grade before he ran off to University. Also, some really goddamn smart people have partaken in mind-altering substances, but I don't know if the substances helped or hurt or were irrelevant regarding how goddamn smart those people were.
Even if My Future Kids don't end up being little potheads, they will almost certainly be curious. I think I should arrange some kind of talk with them. I keep thinking that right before college is the correct time, just based on my own sheltered experiences, but probably it should be before high school. Maybe even sooner. The talk will comprise of the results of various studies and my own experiences regarding substances, and maybe be anecdotal evidence from more famous people? No, associating potential role models with drug use is not a good idea. Just because they attribute the source of their genius to drugs doesn't mean that they were right or that you should use drugs as well. All it says really is that doing drugs won't necessarily mean that you will fail at life.
I really would prefer it if My Future Kids did not do drugs. Sometimes I think Parents should be more grateful that I was such an easy child.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
What's up?
I sometimes forget that people are different from me. As an example, I tend to consider certain gestures to be dull and meaningless; scripted to the point that I almost find them offensive-- why even bother when it's clear that neither of us cares? But it came to my attention recently that these gestures are genuinely important to people who simply happen not to be me.
Hold on a sec while I think of a way to tie this in to My Future Kids.
. . .
Okay I got it.
Social niceties. I will make a point of making My Future Kids get into the habit of paying attention to them, no matter how meaningless. Ideally, you really would mean them, which makes them not dull or meaningless, but you are expected to hold to them regardless of whether you mean it or not. I guess my problem with them is when you can tell that they're done out of obligation, and I would have preferred if no attempt at upholding the niceties had been made at all. It stands to reason then that I should also teach My Future Kids to fake sincerity as well. It will make them more friends anyway. I hope that doesn't make them prematurely cynical and jaded with life. It's possible that fake sincerity is just a Midwestern thing, I'm not sure. I heard some anecdotal evidence stating that Midwesterners are more likely to act interested in you regardless of whether or not they care about what you're saying. I don't know. I tend to just do this all the time because I'm not good at paying attention. To anyone who has talked at me for any sort of extended period of time-- I'm sorry you had to find out like this.
Hold on a sec while I think of a way to tie this in to My Future Kids.
. . .
Okay I got it.
Social niceties. I will make a point of making My Future Kids get into the habit of paying attention to them, no matter how meaningless. Ideally, you really would mean them, which makes them not dull or meaningless, but you are expected to hold to them regardless of whether you mean it or not. I guess my problem with them is when you can tell that they're done out of obligation, and I would have preferred if no attempt at upholding the niceties had been made at all. It stands to reason then that I should also teach My Future Kids to fake sincerity as well. It will make them more friends anyway. I hope that doesn't make them prematurely cynical and jaded with life. It's possible that fake sincerity is just a Midwestern thing, I'm not sure. I heard some anecdotal evidence stating that Midwesterners are more likely to act interested in you regardless of whether or not they care about what you're saying. I don't know. I tend to just do this all the time because I'm not good at paying attention. To anyone who has talked at me for any sort of extended period of time-- I'm sorry you had to find out like this.
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