Is everyone else a perfect parent?
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- December
- 17
Be honest, just between us. How many of you have watched Super Nanny or Nanny 911 and recognized your family? Or perhaps were left thinking that some of those families weren’t really all that bad?
Don’t feign ignorance. For several years now, the British nannies of Super Nanny and Nanny911 have been parachuting into chaotic American homes presided over by unruly kids, whose parents cower in a corner. When the nannies leave at the end of 60 minutes, the children are calm, respectful, do their homwork and chores on time. For icing on the cake, the kids even learn to speak French.
How do they do it? The nannies talk with soothing voices and come up with perfectly measured consequences for the misbehaving offspring. They have charts and schedules and the kids stick to them. The adults learn to be parents. At least that’s the story line.
I don’t recall the nannies ever telling the parents to cut out the cocaine or so stop the extramarital affairs. At no time are the words electrodes or water-boarding uttered in front of the children. Perhaps it’s just excellent film editing.
Most of us set out to be great parents, but often fall somewhere short of that. It’s tough to be great parents when kids now are lucky to get two part-time parents who are worn down by work when they get home. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. As a kid I remember reading that one of the future challenges facing our nation would be managing all our spare time. We soon would be working four days a week and even less in the future. And then there was that Star Trek episode in which the crew lands on this futuristic planet where no one worked; they just hung around playing the lute and reading poetry. OK, that isn ‘t my idea of Utopia, but I bet some of the folks on that planet picked the baseball/iPod/pizza choice.
A few years back my youngest son liked watching the Super Nanny and Nanny 911. I’m not sure if he was looking for ideas of what he and his brother might try next, or perhaps was trying to send his parents a message. I’m sure I picked up a couple of parenting tips while watching. But I’m still waiting the big payoff: The morning my kids come downstairs for breakfast, wearing white shirts, ties and greet their adored parents in French: “Bonjour mama; bonjour papa.”
This entry was posted
on Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 4:39 pm by Len Maniace.
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Great article. I also read your position on gas prices on the JHfamilies yahoo group and I totally agree. Now excuse me while I pretend to make a neat and harmonious dwelling for my children while speaking only in soft, soothing tones and wearing a 24-hour smile.