Well it did turn into a p*ssing contest.
I understand what many are getting at but sorry to say this and ruffle some feathers, let's face it many problems which kids face today is cause by selfishness, plain and simple. A lot of people are passionate about kids and the wellbeing of all of them, so it only figures that this thread would be like this and there is nothing wrong with opinions, especially passionate ones.
I think that what my parents did everyone today can do and the excuses are just that, excuses. I find that outside of the horrible system we have with taxes which actually take a lot of money away from families (see my last line in this post) and the need for parents to have things, kids today are an accessory that many use to lift their low self esteem up among their peers. Many I see don't give a cr*p what happens to their kids because of their poor standards and lack of intellectual fortitude, like the one I wrote about at Walmart, sorry but that is a bad parent and proves my point. People don't take parenting classes, many new parents are just plain nervous and others don't give a sh*t to care enough about the kids but when has it been that people became so d*mn dumb that they think that kids can teach themselves and that they have to have a career (NOTICE I did not say make money).
I am frustrated, I am to the point that I can't stand seeing single people raising kids because of the harm that it actually does to the kid long term. I don't blame the person at all, I blame society - you and me for this mess. For those who understand what I am about to say, please explain it to others but the reason we have most of the problems now is the break up of the family and the emancipation of the children themselves from any authority. For what it is worth, I look at people who come from places like the Middle East or China and see family units that work. We need to look at some of these people and see how they struggle to get by with five or six kids in the house. It amazes me when I go visiting that I see my parents. We lost that but we must get it back.
As for Betty, I said what I said - offended or not, I wish her luck in her future.
Oh and on the tax thing, I challenge you who think I am out of my mind by saying 'that two parents should not work to support the family' to please go to the site listed and read about the Fair Tax and how it can help out everyone. I so strongly feel that this is one big solution for many families like mine who really really struggle everyday. Read it and think about it - if you care about the children
http://www.fairtax.org
