Today's Reddit

Parenthood is not for the faint of heart. If you can't stand up for your kids - for their right to self-determination - for their right to be who they are - then you've failed, both as a parent and as a human being, and you need to step away.

Today's Yeesh

This is 9 kinds of fucked up. And ain't that just Won-fuckin'-derful.

Via Daily Progress, Charlottesville:

College coaches and others have been charged in a sweeping admissions bribery case unsealed in federal court.

The racketeering conspiracy charges unveiled Tuesday were brought against the coaches at schools including Wake Forest University, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.

Authorities say the coaches accepted bribes in exchange for admitting students as athletes, regardless of their ability.

Prosecutors say parents paid an admissions consultant $25 million from 2011 through Feb. 2019 to bribe coaches and administrators to label their children as recruited athletes to boost their chances of getting into schools.

Prosecutors allege that fake athletic profiles were also made to make students look like strong high school athletes when they actually weren't.

Authorities say the consulting company also bribed administrators of college entrance exams to allow a Florida man to take the tests on behalf of students or replace their answers with his.

I think I understand that yearning for "back in the day", but it's really not what we need to be doing.

"Back in the day" it was also 9 kinds of fucked up - it was just a different set of 9 kinds of fucked up, but it seems like we oughta be able to notice a little overall improvement.

Yes - we have to teach them, and watch them, and guide them, and sometimes we have to reprimand them - and even punish them when it gets really bad.

But we have to stop trying to smash-fit them into our own expectations. We can't force them to be people they don't want to be. And we have to stop pretending they actually are the people we insist they are to our friends and families.

When do we figure out that we have to let kids be kids before we can expect any success with that other stuff?

Paraphrasing Mr Waters: Don't be a brick in the wall.

One last thing - 

FUCK YOU, RICH PEOPLE

Modern Parenting

Dammit - why didn't I think of that?

(starting at 4:00)

Work at Home

A professor's BBC interview has been hilariously gatecrashed by children. Wait for the moment when the second child arrives... pic.twitter.com/oGiULof67X

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) March 10, 2017

Lewisburg, PA

OK, so I didn't get any blogging done while I was gone.  I was too busy being away from it all and just hangin' with muh boy Nick (Luke's big brother).

But here's a nice picture:

While everybody's paying attention to the kids playin' their hearts out in the All-Star game last nite, I'm gawkin' the sky.

The Luke-Man had 5 points total in 6 games - including a big one today - and the Pats eked out a Golden-Goal win this morning (against a big gun team that blew us out yesterday) to take the B Division Title.  Way to go, Patty Boys.

Dear Mrs Romney

Dear Mrs. Romney,

Perhaps you can advise me. Since you have raised 5 boys, I'm sure you'll understand. One of the kids is sick again and I have no sick days left at work. In fact, my boss gave me a bad performance review and no raise this year because he said I obviously don't care that much about my job since I've missed so many days and if I miss anymore he may have to replace me. Whenever my child gets sick, my boss reminds me how easily I can be replaced.

We don't have health insurance at my job, so, if my boy gets worse, I'll probably be at the ER most of the night tonight. Not for the first time, but that's ok, he'll get care. It's tomorrow I'm worried about.

As you know, regular day care will not take a sick child, so if I want to work when my child is sick, I have to pay for sick child day care, which costs as much as I make, and, as I'm sure you know from personal experience, I still have to pay my regular day care, whether my child is there or out sick, so I actually lose money in order to work while he's sick. It's that or take a chance on losing my job entirely.

Should I take my child to the day care for sick kids and lose money and not have enough for my bills this month, so I can keep my job, or should I stay home with my sick child and hope that I don't get fired?
What did you do when this happened to you?

Sincerely, Just Another Mom

American Taliban

This jackass is a sitting judge in Texas who presides over a court that hears a lot of cases involving child abuse. His name is William Adams.

The Daily Mail has a good report.