Are Parents Getting Stupider?
 

Okay, let me describe a scenario to you.

You got a kid, say about 16 years old.

And let's say that the child is a masculine child.

And said masculine child has a history of badness. Although is is now off probation, and hasn't managed to do anything to get back on probation for about six months.

So, what do good, effective parents do over a three-day holiday weekend?

After extracting promises that there would be no misbehavior, and no friends over, and no hijinks or monkeybusiness or shenanigans ...

Mom and Dad go down the shore.

And return on Monday.

To find exactly what everybody, except them, apparently, would expect.

Mom was especially horrified that LittleDarlingAngelDemonSpawn lied to his friend's parents about Mom and Dad's presence in the house so his friends were allowed to come over.

Which must have been the biggest knock down drag out party in the history of the area.

Resulting in the house being trashed. Now, I didn't see it, so I don't know it it was a few pictures knocked askew trashed, or vomit all over the white carpet kind of trashed.

Mom and Dad decided to ground the boy, and took away several of his toys (sounds like they may have stripped his room down to the level of a medieval monk's cell), which kid discovers when he gets home from school.

And calls his Dad, threatening to trash the place if he didn't get his stuff back.

Which is were I came in to the situation, having to explain how being a teenager is not a sign or symptom of major mental illness.

Can you commit the parents? Stupidity may not be a crime, but maybe it is a disorder?

One of my favorite lines from Parenthood:

Tod: You know, Mrs. Buckman, you need a license to buy a dog, to drive a car - hell, you even need a license to catch a fish. But they'll let any butt-reaming asshole be a father.

LOL! Who are you, Luca Brazzi?

I don't think parents are getting stupider, just that -- hope springs eternal, and willful blindness is rampant. And maybe they even just wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

More likely they are just too lazy to arrange for suitable supervision.