Something that bugs me
 

I really hate it when you make a lifestyle decision like, for example, not watching TV, or not eating sweets, or wanting to raise your kids a certain way, and people get super defensive and critical about it.

I made a comment in a FB group in that when my husband and I have kids, we don't really want them watching TV. And this one person got super defensive about it, like I was criticizing her or other parents who do it. I grew up watching TV, and so did my husband, and as of now Comedy Central is on, it's just something I'd like to change by the time we have kids. His aunt and uncle homeschooled their twins, didn't have a TV, and traveled the world, and they're great, smart, well-rounded girls, and when we visited them a couple of summers ago (they were 18 at the time), it was refreshing to not have a TV on (they don't even have one), they weren't on their phones, and were reading while waiting for dinner. It was nice. And relaxing.

If people want to have TV in their homes, that's fine. there is nothing *wrong* with it. Just like I don't plan on keeping dessert in the house... I rarely had it when I was growing up, and I still don't have it, and I could care less for sweets.

To get on track.... people do this about weight loss and exercise all of the time! It's really nothing personal against other people who aren't on that path. It's that I just want to make a change, and it's nothing against others who don't want to make a change, or who don't eat or exercise the way I do.

Do you deal with people who are critical of your lifestyle decisions and changes?

Smile and nod.

Seriously.

Not worth getting bothered by other peoples opinions!

I think it's generally good for as-yet-childless people to avoid making comments about their ideal parenting style in front of people who are already parents. Plan with your husband all you like about it, but until you have kids of your own, don't mention it to your friends with kids, except perhaps to ask their opinions of whether your ideals are realistic or attainable.

The world of parenting is littered with the expectations and intentions of folks who planned to never let their kids watch TV, eat junk food, play video games, etc. The reality of parenting is considerably different, and lots of people have found it not as easy as they thought, for all kinds of reasons, to stick to the ideals they were absolutely sure would be a part of their parenting.

I say this as a non-parent myself - it is all too easy to make proclamations about what you will do when you are a parent; folks with kids will always feel stung and judged from a very high horse when you do that publicly, because no matter how much empathy you have you really can't know what it's like until you are faced with it for real. Best to keep these ideals to yourself, for now.

:cp::cp::cp::cp::bravo:

So well said.


OP, I don't disagree with your view on TV or not wanting it. But you are in no position to plan that kind of stuff for kids that don't exist yet. Its cute, because young childless people do it all the time. And depending on how many kids you have and many other factors, you may or may not be able to follow through. Its much easier to entertain 1 kid while you make dinner, do the dishes, do the laundry etc (not to mention you only have one kids that's making a mess behind you.) But add several kids to the mix, of various ages, and chores and such you have to get done, and things get hairy. But you can be the mom that makes everything out of a box, or has a messy house. You may have all girls that sit and color while you cook. Boys don't do that. One boy, maybe. But the more you have, well they work in a pack mentality. Not too bad in the summer, send them outside, if you have a yard (we are fortunately enough to have that) but live somewhere that they can't just be sent outside? Or its winter? Or one kid is vomiting all over and you are trying to clean it up, but the other two still need to be feed, and cleaning cleaning cleaning...This was my evening last night. 17 month old started throwing up around dinner time in the living room, and you don't want to burn dinner or your older kids running through the vomit. My 7y/o might get to stay away from it but 4 y/o is a little harder...good tv show, means older kid out of the way while I tend to the disaster in the living room plus watching dinner at the same time, and of course having to stop to wash my hands like 1000 times for fear of getting anyone else sick.

We don't watch a lot of tv, and my oldest son comes home with many shows (from peers, don't forget your kid won't be living in a bubble) that we don't watch. He asked me to watch 'the amazing race" a few weeks ago....um no way, even my hubby and I don't watch that kind of stuff. (We actually didn't have a tv when we were childless either) But sometimes it keeps them occupied so I can cook dinner or do the floors, because those things have to be done. We just choose child appropriate programs.

Have a few kids and you'll feel pretty bad for what you posted on facebook. Not because its wrong to not want tv, but because you have no idea what's its like to be a parent.

You made a public proclamation and when you do that you have to be prepared that others will perceive it in a negative way. Why after all are you proclaming this if not from a place of judgement of others? What made you think to say something like that if not prompted by seeing a parent do it? On behalf of all parents out there, I would roll my eyes at that if I saw it in my newsfeed and perhaps even comment with a snide remark like "easy to say now" or I'd post a pic of my 3yr old with his tablet in defiance.

Gee I remember the days of "I'll never do this with my kid" and "I can't believe parents who do that" thoughts. We all have them when we are on the verge of starting a family yet not quite there yet. There's absolutely nothing wrong with aspiring to be a good parent! I had the same thoughts myself. But reality presents challenges that makes one waiver on their high and mighty aspirations from time to time.

I urge you to speak to this wundermom that you mentioned, the one without tv. Get the real scoop on what it's like to raise kids without tv. I bet she has issues to deal with too, it can't all be perfect and glossy as you see it. And then if you really want to make proclamations then get rid of your tv right now! See how easy it is and then get on the public soapbox.

I didn't use a TV as a babysitter by any means but if I didn't have one in the house to keep him occupied while I was sick with the flu or desperately needed to shower, I would've easily lost my mind. If you choose not to have any TV more power to you. Doesn't make any difference to me.

I remember too. :)

Just like everyone else said, it can come off judgmental to make those kinds of blanket statements when you're not in the situation, even if you didn't mean it that way.

I'll tell you that we don't have cable in my house and my daughter reads MUCH more than most other kids, but as a "formerly" single mom, it was almost impossible to do all of the laundry, cook all of the healthy and balanced meals, clean the entire house, do all of the yard work, and entertain a small child at the same time. Sometimes computer games and Netflix serve a purpose.

couple of thoughts: i've seen people post things like this too and I just scroll on by, partly because lots of people have lots of ideals that crumble in the face of reality and partly because they can have their opinions and it doesn't really matter to me....

i grew up on a homestead and we didn't have TV or computers until I was older - TV when I was 10 and that was one basic channel and a computer when I was about 14 and that was before the age of iPhones and internet....what did we do? we helped around the house...we were homeschooled...we hauled wood and water...we played with Barbie dolls, played outside (watch out for moose!) and read alot, drew alot, colored alot....

what did families do in the olden days without the electronics? i'm not sure but I'd guess that all the kids helped with chores, played outside, and that families had more than one adult around to help tackle multiple issues going on at the same time(?)

I strive for a balance - my kids have school, they have activities, they have friends, they play inside and outside, they help with chores (either they clean WITH me or they play somewhere out of my way) and we also have our share of electronic time as well

I agree that sometimes it's best as a non-parent to not share child-related opinions in order to avoid backlash like that. You are of course free to say whatever you want, as long as you understand the consequences. And inevitably, as a non-parent sharing future plans, you will offend some parents. Even when you become a parent, you will probably offend other parents.

As far as weightloss, I also try to avoid that topic (except for on this weight loss forum and a weightloss-centric Facebook group I belong to). I just don't like the confrontation that is inevitable when I share my opinion on that topic. If someone asks, I may respond in a private message and only say what is my experience or my opinion and I try to provide links to research if it's an especially heated topic such as Intermittent Fasting (which I do, and a lot of people freak out when they hear about it!).

At work, a few coworkers talk very openly about Weight Watchers, which they belong to, and weight loss in general. They have learned that although I'm obviously losing weight, I don't like to provide a lot of details so they don't ask me many questions about it anymore and I don't bring it up either to anyone. Point is, if you don't like confrontation, you'll have to develop your own ways to avoid it.

However, I disagree with GlamourGirl's opinion that "you are in no position to plan that kind of stuff for kids that don't exist yet." It is incredibly important that you have those discussions with your husband, but of course with an eye towards reason - discuss the ideal, but recognize the ideal may change when reality strikes!

Ack ... I've been dealing with it since around 1999 when I had to stop consuming gluten. I have a friend who STILL doesn't get it. Who literally will ask me, WHENEVER I'M OVER TO HER HOUSE, "You can't eat bread, or flour??? Well, what about biscuits, they came out of a can!"

Seriously???

My mother never did understand it and that woman never touched a drop of milk in my entire life due to the most painful lactose intolerance of anyone I've ever known. And she was born in 1936, long before that phrase entered the public lexicon! But she could not wrap her mind around the fact that grain did to my stomach what milk did to hers!

And the other thing ... a lot of people are the hero in their own little life adventure, and they just LOOOOOVE their drama. If you go around thinking the universe revolves around you, you're going to automatically take a comment that someone is giving up a food you like as some comment that YOU should give that food up, too.

Frankly the only person I apply that philosophy to is my husband :D

I agree with carter and Wannabeskinny.

I don't have kids myself, and my husband and I frequently talk about our plans for when we do and how we'll raise them... but it's generally something we keep to ourselves, because those comments are absolutely judgmental the way we talk about them at home (for instance, my husband will say "Let's not be like those parents who _____"), and I'd feel like I was being judgmental if I said any of those things, even phrased differently, to a parent in response to the way they've chosen to raise their kids.

By commenting in response to their choices, you're doing exactly the same thing as the people who are responding to you.

As an example, I'd really like to home-school my children, because my research shows it gives them a better chance at success, and I think I'd be good at it and have fun doing it. And sometimes when discussions about the school system or similar subjects come up at work, I want to bring that up.

But even though I've done my research and made a decision that I think would be right for my family (we'll see when we get there, mind you), there's a big difference between saying "well I'm going to homeschool my kids" and "I've heard homeschooling is pretty good, statistically speaking." Because then it becomes a conversation topic and a way for people to integrate some information or share their own opinions, instead of something that could be taken as judgmental.

slightly off topic....but if you homeschool, speaking as one who was homeschooled until 8th grade, please please(!!) make sure your kids get the social skills and social involvement that they would if going to a public school....i was homeschooled on a remote area and didn't get that and it was a HARD(!!) social adjustment when I finally had to go out in the world, make friends, be a friend, not to mention romantic attachments etc

not trying to knock homeschooling at all, because i've also considered it for my kids....just sharing a thought with you :)

This is a difficult subject for me (socialization of kids, generally speaking) because my mother refused to allow my school to bump me ahead grades because she was concerned about my apparent issues with social skills. Apparently my teachers were suggesting about 2 years' advancement, she said no, and looking back I think the progression would have been helpful for me not just for mental stimulation, but also for social skill development. My friends all tended to be older than me anyway.

I hold a firm belief that children today are less mature than children were from older generations, because of more socialization with adults (whereas today kids are encouraged mainly to play with other kids their age, which I think actually stunts social development). I think a broader range of socialization (with various age groups, but especially adults) is a good idea. For maturity.

Anyway, all that said, I think living in a remote area and not having much socialization at all outside of family isn't great, because the world's made up of many types of people with many ways of thinking. So on that front I think you're completely right. We all need to be exposed to as much of the world as possible to be compatible with it.

I haven't really worked out a parenting strategy or anything (and it might go out the window anyway, once I do), but I live in a big city and I really look forward to bringing my future kids to activities, including ones that involve others—like martial arts, maybe team sports, and other things I'm not skilled at myself. I think it would depend what my kids were interested in, and I suspect they'd have an interest in socializing. I don't plan on denying them that. :)

That's ideal to me. Sounds nice. And I know that's what my aunt and uncle in-law did. Homeschooled, but also traveled. I'm sure it was easier because they were twin girls.

That seriously makes me never want to have kids. I think parents now are a lot more judgmental and critical and mean to other parents than they were when I was a kid. I don't remember my mom ever going through that, but then again she was an awesome mom and if she did she didn't talk about it. (I'm a product of the 80s).

I just honestly didn't think that it would be so controversial to say you don't want TV in your house once you have kids. To me, it's just TV. Just like snack foods and dessert.

I also don't like it when people will say that I'll change my mind. Maybe, but maybe not.

I think it's a good idea to have an idea of what you want to do once you have kids. It's not set in stone. Nothing is set in stone.

Yeah I don't tell anyone that I'm dieting. Besides my mom and my husband (who obviously knows). Because everyone has a darn opinion and some people will really get on you if you aren't sticking to it, in their perception.

Absolutely. And I never really thought about it until recently, and my mom has been encouraging me to really think about how we want to raise our future non-existant kids, what activities, public vs private school, if we want to take them to church (both of us are fairly nonreligious, I went to church growing up and I had great memories until high school), etc, but I'm not dumb and I know things change. People on the thread frustrated me because they took it as me not putting any thought into it, and also being totally not going to budge. And totally anti-electroic, too, which isn't true either. And then it morphed into "You'd be depriving them of pop culture and media if you took it away from them!"

That's how I phrased it, pretty much, how too much screen time can be bad for growth at a young age, and sure enough, someone had to talk about their awesome straight-A kid who does tons of activities and who watches TV. OK. You've got a great kid. It seems that no matter how you phrase it, people will always see it as judgmental.

Good luck with homeschooling your future nonexistent kids. My cousin in-laws were part of a homeschooling group and they're great kids, I think they're 20 now. Of course, raising kids is a crapshoot, you do what you can and at the end of the day have to hope for the best.

I think you are missing the point. I don't know why people on your facebook are defending tv, or their tv watching kids. I think that's about as helpful as defending that your kids eat junk food or drink soda. By the way, my kids have never had soda, but I won't tell people in real life that. I never tell anyone, unless they offer the kids a soda, at which my kids will politely decline and if something is said to them about it, especially if it is pushed on them. Like "oh honey don't you want a soda though?" Then I will say something. This has only happened once. Only once person knows they've never had soda. Everyone else has never given it a thought about them drinking water at parties. I don't post it on facebook. We make this choice for our kids, not to broadcast it on facebook. If no tv is something so important to you and your spouse, then leave it between you and your spouse.

Anyway, you are still focused on the tv being the issue and not that you are forming opinions on something which you know nothing about. Yes, if you are not a parent, it doesn't matter how many dogs you've had, or If you babysit a lot or have an education degree...you don't know what its like to parent until you do. On the topic of the tv, in my opinion, it doesn't offer anything else than any other form of entertainment. Can programs be educational? Sure. But kids don't need tv for that. They can get it else where. Its just passive entertainment.

I think the issue is you are already planning for kids that don't exist. And while having some discussions are important, like schooling, discipline preferences, religions you may or may not want to raise your kids with...talking about whether they will watch tv, is well,....it shows how little you know about parenting. Its up there with the non parents that concern themselves with whether or not their kids will use a pacifier. I always find that funny, childless (and new moms do this too) worrying about pacifiers, as if the child's entire future rests on that choice. Its naïve to think that way. TV is not a big issue, but your inexperience in parenting can cause you to focus on those things. There are bigger fish to fry, but you can't understand that yet.

Even deciding on schooling is really something you will need to do when you know your child, you district etc. Every child is different. I have always been against homeschooling for many reasons. And before I have kids, I said I would never harm my kids by homeschooling them....and right now my husband and I are deciding to possibly homeschool our 7 y/o. But its not cut and dry. When you don't have kids you imagine what they will be like. But they might not be like that. My oldest son is autistic and ADHD. He is very bright, but has a lot of social challenges. Its tough because I don't feel academically he is being challenged like he should. But socially, he needs those typical peer models and structure of school. It would be great to say with a 4y/o, 17 month old and new baby in March that I could keep that kind of ridged schedule at home, but I know I can't. A typical kid might be ok if math is done at 9am one day and 10am the next, but something like that would be a problem with my son. However, I don't feel that his needs are being properly addressed in school, and that being home means he would not be having some of the difficulties he is having related to his needs. Before I had kids, I made my choices on schooling based on some imagination of what my kids would be like, now what they are actually like.

See the point I'm making is you are making choices but those choices are going to be greatly influenced by your children, which don't exist.

Its normal for you to focus on such little things, because the big problems, the worries that really weigh heavy on your mind, come with the child. Children that are born with a severe birth defect, or mentally challenged. Or a child that is so painfully shy, that you are more worried about him or her making friends than whether or not they watch tv. Or a child that does not stop moving or talking, you may wish they'd sit and watch tv! My oldest can "watch" a program, but he's always doing something at the same time. Actually I have to admit all my kids inherited my inability to sit the **** down and watch tv. (I've never been a movie or tv person. I have a few shows I like, but I'll usually do something else while watching) So tv isn't an issue here, because I have to lead them to it, they never ask to watch it. We've had weeks were the box didn't work so the tv didn't get channels and the kids didn't care. I cared though! In fact I'd love there to be a day that they'd veg out in front of the tv for hours so I can get some peace...but usually I can get 20 mins out of them so I can get something done (dinner, clean puke up you know that kind of stuff), and even then they are fighting, moving, climbing and fidgeting.

You may have a child that is born blind and this won't even be an issue.

My point is what you think is so important that you have to post about it on facebook before you even have kids, really doesn't deserve that much time or discussion. When the time comes, but don't buy a tv. It will be a blip on your radar with your kids, especially as they get older. Mine are still young, and I worry about the teen years yet to come.

I know you want to defend your position, but really posting your opinion on parenting when you aren't a parent on facebook, is tacky. Sorry.

Wow. . . .

Wow indeed.

She thinks blind kids don't watch TV.... o_O

FWIW, there are ways to enrich learning without being bumped up in school. I was and it wasn't pretty. There are certain developmental stages in life and it's a burden on a kid to have to jump some and try to fit in along the way.

As for kids/no kids, well...people are going to give advice, and you can take it or leave it. And if you give that advice on a public forum, be prepared to be challenged. It's the internet, people! And people without kids can give advice about kids - don't have to have them to see what's going on in a family or to make suggestions.

And for what it's worth, blind people actually DO watch TV. I think some people need to check their facts about what challenges "blind people" actually face. Honestly.

I was going to say.... I used to babysit a blind boy and his sister, and we'd watch TV and I'd describe what was going on. He also LOVED his Game Boy.

My mom used to make us do workbooks over the summer. We'd go to the teacher supply store and get like 2 or 3 each. I feel like all of us were pretty ahead. And yes, I want to do the same thing with my future nonexistant kids :D

Wondering if GlamorGirl has ever heard of Described Video, which provides descriptions of programs alongside and amongst the regular audio feed. It's designed specifically for Visually Impaired people to assist them in enjoying progamming.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Descr..._Video_Service

My jaw is still hanging open over this. Honestly.

Yup, Nick had one of those. Beauty and the Beast. I think it's a charity group that provides them for visually impaired people.

^It kind of boils down to this.

Parents like us aren't trying to sound judgmental, the hardcore truth (which most won't admit to) is that parenting can be extremely frustrating and hard especially if you have a child that has problems. For some of us TV is the least of our problems. SO... just take it with a grain of salt. ;)

PREFACE: This is a bit off-topic. Also, it is NOT intended as any kind of attack on any person here for decisions they have made for their own children. I am talking about my personal experience and what I think should have been done for me, but I am not your kid. You know your kid (hopefully). I do not.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses and I was unable to pursue my strengths to the level I could have in school, because of decisions that were made for me without my knowledge. As an example, I used to spend my lunch break doing long division problems for fun. I'd learned something new and exciting, and I wanted to practice it over and over. But long division had to last me most of that year, because nobody fed me anything new, and I didn't have the resources or the knowledge to go looking for new things. All I knew was I liked long division. If someone had explained algebra to me that year, I would have eaten it for breakfast and wanted more for lunch. I had similar experiences in Reading/Writing, Science, and other subjects.

In contrast, Physical Education was something I hated and did badly at. Should I have been held back in school every year if I were to fail PE? Should my math skills not be allowed to develop further just because I was behind in another area? And why are social skills any different?

Why would you hold back someone's potential to ensure development in another area? Instead, why not allow free range to pursue strengths, and work on weak areas concurrently? (In my case, there were no resources available outside of school to enhance in specific areas. My single-parent mom did not have the time or money to provide them, and the internet wasn't available. However, the school did have resources to provide support if I had social transitioning or other issues as a result of being bumped up, and I should note again that it was the school that recommended I be bumped up grades).

As an aside, I can say with relative certainty that I would still be the way I am (in a personal/social sense) if I had been bumped ahead years. And if not, I would at worst be more "normal" than I am. I didn't drink until I was 21 (here the drinking age is 19), I didn't have sex until the same year, I still don't have a driver's license; I've never been subject to peer pressure. I've also never had an interest in spending time with groups, so being left out of trips didn't (and still doesn't) bother me. I function well in society (as a result of a development process I consciously forced on myself after high school), but I still choose to avoid it when I have more interesting things to do.

You say it was a burden for you to jump ahead years, and my response to that is that you must have had some priorities and interests that I didn't have. Perhaps your parents made the wrong call, and perhaps if I'd had an interest in "fitting in" then my mother's decision would have been more legitimate. But in the meantime, it's upsetting to think that I could have gone so much further while I still had the energy and enthusiasm of a child. What a waste!

Luckily I still have curiosity and a pretty good dose of enthusiasm, so all is not lost. :)

I've always found that if one feels the need to preface a comment with "don't take this personally" or "this isn't an attack on anyone" then they are perfectly aware that it is meant to do so.

The grass is always greener on the other side, faiora. To have a well rounded age appropriate experience in school does not happen if bumped up in grades. Schools know this, which is why it isn't done very often. You may feel that you are/were somehow more superiorly rounded as an individual than I am/was (which is what you say in your post), but I can assure you that unless you are in that specific place at that time, you can't make the assertion that you would have been just fine. You can be as "social" as possible, but the facts remain that 12 year old interactions are different from 15 year old interactions. It's just the way it is. And I speak from personal experience, and that of my brother who was pushed ahead, and my sister who was pushed ahead and my husband who was pushed ahead. This is why schools are reluctant to push kids ahead in school (and reluctant to hold them back).

As for not having internet nor resources to enrich your life, well, neither did I. But we all had access to the public and school libraries and clubs at school etc. Not one of us came from a background of wealth and privilege -- my husband was from a single parent family of NINE CHILDREN before the age of Internet, well below the poverty line. Each of us was able to enrich our personal learning experience without tutors, special classes or the internet, to the point of being pushed ahead which was done at the initiative of the school not our parent/s.

If you haven't gone "further" in life, then that's a result of your adult choices, not to be blamed on your lack of being "pushed through" as a child. I've found that those with the capabilities to succeed will tend to do so at all stages of life. Academic learning does not end at school. Personally, based on your post, there is no doubt in my mind that had you been pushed up, you'd have another set of reasons for not having "succeeded" mostly around the issue of being pushed up in grades.

And just keep in mind that I come at this from a position of direct experience and not one of speculation and "what might have been". It is what it is, and I wouldn't recommend this path to many.

Thank you!!! I am just retiring after 40 years as a teacher. Actually my postition now involves assessment, often of homeschooled students as provincial govenment needs to monitor that their programs are giving them the necessary skills. What we find is that many homeschooled kids do really well academically, but also a good number have difficulty because if there are learning difficulties, many parents won't have the supports available when learning is not going as planned.

I have taught many hundreds of students over these years, many with learning disabilities as that is my specialty. None were as difficult as me teaching my own ADHD son. He is grown and educated now, the schools did far better with him than I would because emotions were not so intense.

But school is not only about academics, in school we learn to network and interact socially. We also learn to work with people who are different than ourselves.

Maybe straying from the topic but I often hear people who regreat that they can't afford to stay home and homeschool their kids, but that is not the ideal situation fot everyone.

Pat

Pardon me? I finished writing my thread, and then realized that although my intentions are good, this kind of post is often misconstrued when I post it. So I pointed out above my post that I was only talking about myself... which, if you read through my post, is entirely true. I'd rather not be told what I mean by things.

As an aside, I'm happy with the successes I've had in life. I make better than average money, I have a job I'm happy with and am free to pursue my hobbies, and I do attribute that to my adult successes. I'm frankly offended at your implication that I'm blaming some kind of failure on my childhood experiences. I've worked hard to get where I am. It would just be nice if that hard work had happened when I had more energy and enthusiasm for it.

I'm free to form opinions on my own experiences, just like you're free to form opinions about yours. Let's do our best to keep this a safe place to share our opinions with each other.

Actually, I simply said I had some strengths that I wasn't able to pursue, and that we all have strengths and weaknesses. I have definitely always had weaknesses and I pointed out a few in my post.

I don't think I was more well-rounded than anyone else, and I wouldn't try comparing myself to you because I have no idea what your strengths and weaknesses are. It's entirely possible you were much more well rounded than me.

It seems you read the red text at the top of my post and made a decision about what I was saying before you read anything at all. That's probably my fault for using red bold text, and for phrasing the disclaimer the way I did. I'll try and work on that for next time so this doesn't happen again.

A lot of people seem to be getting away from the topic of the original post. It was regarding people who take offense when you make a statement about what YOU personally do, or intend to do. People should be able to have discussions and state their opinions without it turning into WWIII. If you truly believe in something you should be able to stand by your convictions no matter what others say. Or maybe listening to the opinions of others may make you take a step back and think "I never thought of it that way." What would this world be like if we all liked the same things, did the same things, etc.

As far as raising children is concerned, children are all raised under different circumstances and parents always hope that they will hang on to the values they tried to instill in them. But as they get older and start to spend more time with people outside their family unit, they experience different things. They form their own opinions, make their own choices. We might not agree with the choices they are making, but they have become their own person. Isn't that what we want for our kids in the end?

Thanks, Wannabehealthy. On that note, I am closing this thread.