A few bad apples - so throw the basket please

Further to my earlier post about parenting - here's a story to share.

A Secondary Three boy, member of a school's basketball team, was caught using his mobile phone during an Elective Programme by the external contractor.
She reported this to the teacher who was assigned to monitor them who then confiscated his mobile phone as per the school rules.
The boy was upset and kicked a chair, in the direction of the external instructor.

No apology was made to the external instructor.  Apparently the boy informed his teachers he had apologised. 

This is the end of the school term and the boy will not be in school until 2019 and the external instructor ends the 'course', leaves the school and this issue will be 'forgotten'.

This is the quality of life today.
Until common courtesy is taught to children by their parents, even teachers are being taken for a long ride.

Whatever the world wants to label this generation, it's gravely incorrect.  This is not Generation Z but Generation 'I don't care'.

Does it matter that they were born when the internet was flourishing and social media is rampant? It doesn't because parenting is as constant as the Northern Star.  Parents model and teach their children so that they do not become a nuisance to others. Instead of taking full advantage of technology and it's perks to heal the world so that more after us can enjoy our beautiful Earth, these children are running wild and damaging people.  I'm not saying all is bad.  But the few, is enough to make others shake their heads in disgust.

I rather the world just fade away than imagine the parented having to put up with the nonsense of these few. 

This story is just one of the many untold and unheard horrors of school-going children.  Stealing Koi from ponds, stealing from fishing ponds.....gosh.....no more please.

Request for more babies & suggestions which isn't correct

So, the comment is to help build 'stronger' marriages so they can have more babies.  WRONG.

On the surface, it's YES, when the marriage bond is strong, babies are the 'natural' way to go.  I have seen, met and spoken to many with 'seemingly' decent marital relationships - but they still end up with wayward children, or a black sheep, at some point in the equation.

I'm not surprised that society has regressed and gone back to QUANTITY wins against QUALITY.

On a personal note, I rather have ONE, filial child, he doesn't have to be on the Scholar's list or the Deans' List...he doesn't even have to be a lawyer or a doctor.  As a parent, I want my ONE child to be a contributing citizen who can THINK for himself like a Shepard and not graze around like sheep.
I rather my ONE child be healthy and happy to speak his mind, yet speak his mind he will with facts and not hearsay.

The baby bonus has motivated couples to hit the jackpot - free money - thousands in fact.  Question should be, are we motivating the correct group of people?  People who are interested in being parents and not the helicopter type or the kind who only sees what they want to see.

I look around, listen to conversations when on the public transportation system and to my horror, I have yet to manage an eavesdropping session that's worth the listen.  Why bother having children if parents are not raising them, but maids and grandparents?  Ah, we need dual income? Well then, it's tough to have your cake and eat it too? This is the 70% of the current fertile population.  Give birth and expect everyone else, except themselves to parent the child. 

Years ago, when I started out my adult life, I wanted just ONE child.  ONE child I can give my all to....I passed up work, good jobs, to be a full-time mom at least during his informative years.  I had a maid, but I fed and bathed the child...not the maid......she focused on the household chores.  My ONE child is my responsibility and I took that up seriously.  When out at an extended family dinner, I fed the child as I ate.  He sat on my lap, not the maids, not grandparents.....I say that with pride.

I understand that the world is going through an ageing crisis - but do we really need more people to pollute the already polluted earth?  Perhaps its time to trim down the numbers so that Earth can recover from all that pollution.

I watch acquaintances dump children here and there, safely of course, and then years later, when things are no longer nappies and feeding, expect the child to have this magical bond with them.  Doesn't happen.  Most don't even know what their kids are up to outside the home.  When something happens, the report always is, he's a nice kid, quiet kid....polite kid.....

So a solid marriage won't bring in a solid child.
It's an interest in parenting that will.

the unexpected

I made a quick trip to BKK recently. I somehow managed to wrangle some time - schedules are crazy and have been crazy for quite some time now.....but as with all things, if it's meant to be it's meant to be.

It was great to visit again - there was so much talk about getting rid of the roadside stalls which made BKK, Bangkok.  Now, there is this huge tent outside Central, and all the street food stalls are there! Convenient because, as much as we are hit by the unforgiving heat, BKK is the same.

The unexpected thing was, someone decided to chat me up, while waiting to board the plane home.  After hours and hours of shopping, the last thing anyone wanted was to be social.  Yet there he was, tired-looking too, but so warm in his mannerisms.  He was young, has huge lovely eyes and someone who would have made my list, way back then.

Anyways, we exchanged numbers, because we got into talking about stuff we shared in common.  He was on a long-term visa, having just started up a business and was in BKK for work.  When it was boarding, we just said our good-nite, coz we just wanted to sleep all the way home!

He called me the following week.  Unexpected.

We meet people all the time, we exchange numbers sometimes and that's usually the end of that.  But this guy, he would text, try to mesh our schedules and finally, we met again for coffee today.

So I guess, not everyone has a rod up their ass.  Some people, the few, still believe in friendship and laughs.  I had a refreshing afternoon, sipping coffee, watching a good-looking guy chat, laugh and just having zero hang-ups.  He carried my shopping, even when I insisted that I could manage and I actually let him. 

He sent me a text to thank me for the afternoon and that we'll catch up soon, again.
I told him I'm just crazy and too busy and his response was, only a crazy would meet another crazy.

Now that, is sweet.