Ok so I’m a dad. I have 3 kids-Rachel, Roman, and Tommy; ages 7, 6, 3 respectively. I can appreciate the dilemma most parents go through in wanting the best for your kids and wanting to provide them with the best opportunities possible. I want my children to succeed and be happy. Of course at their age they are not completely aware of all the good and bad that is out there so I do my best to help and protect them. I also realize that the day will come when I will no longer do that and that I must let my kids decide for themselves. I must let them stumble and make their own mistakes. I can only hope that they will learn from them and that they will know that I am here to support them. This message is directed to those parents who refuse to acknowledge this. And there are soooooo many out there it is ridiculous. I teach at the college level. And I still have parents calling me asking me to excuse their kids’ lateness, absence etc. I had a mother call and say she needed to schedule an appointment for her son. How old is the son? 19. 19 years old. I kindly explained that since he was an ADULT, he needed to contact me himself. She became rather upset, telling me that he was still immature and didn’t know what he wanted so she was going to make sure he didn’t make any mistakes in scheduling classes. Hmmm OK. Well I told her that when she finished feeding him and changing his diaper she could bring him down to my office during my office hours. (Not really) but it got me thinking, how incapable is this kid? Do I really want someone like this in my classes? Someone who needs his mommy to do things for him?

I guess I have little patience for people like this because

1. I was the first in my family to attend college. I had no previous experience in the whole application process. No experience with financial aid. Parents who did not speak English well. Parents who did not go to college, in fact they never went to high school. I had no experience in the whole registration, picking majors, classes etc. I think I did pretty good. So how come someone with English-speaking, college-educated parents can’t do something simple like register for classes without mommy?

2. My father died when I was 25. My mother before I was 30. I pretty much have had to figure out a lot of the “grown up” things on my own. Yes I have had great advice from people and I had a good wife for 7 ½ yrs who helped me out too but having mommy or daddy hold my hand? Yeah right.

3. I knew what I wanted. I knew what classes would get me there. I can NEVER imagine a situation where I would let someone else dictate my education for me; whether parents, counselors, spouse whatever. So I cannot understand how someone can sit there and allow mommy to choose classes. Even worse, someone who sits there and lets ME choose their classes. ME what the heck do I know? (I know a lot but seriously I still shouldn’t be picking your classes)