Parenting 101 From A Non-Parent

I'm sitting in my office watching this 11 year old young boy come back and forth to my coworker for help with the computer in our business center. He is alone; no parent or guardian in site. I see it all the time during school; children come into the business center to attempt to do homework, and get on social sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. with no help. As soon as they have problems with homework or whatever they are doing, they come in to us as we work and ask us to help them with their work.

This is really sad. It's a small reminder that children are not being raised properly at all these days. I remember when I was younger; there was no way in the world my mom would have sent me into a place of business to get on a public computer alone without her at least sitting in the car and waiting for me. I'm at work, so there should be no reason for me to continuously have to help other adults' children with their school assignments.

Children are running rampant and losing their minds, cursing, fighting, joining gangs, and not attempting to set or reach any goals, but parents are sitting back watching it happen with a dumb look on their faces.
Some parents have even been heard saying, "I have washed my hands with Jr." but are they really washing their hands of their children, or did they wash their hands from the parenting obligations a long time ago?

One girl came in the office one time with her four year old daughter, and this child was EVERYWHERE! She was taking things off of my desk, and running all over the place. An older lady asked the young mother why she wouldn't spank the little girl to make her act right, and she said, "Oh I just couldn't do that. It would break my heart to spank her." I guess she is basically saying that she won't mind when the little girl grows up and starts spanking her, because that's definitely where she is headed. I instantly felt sorry for the daycare workers that will have to handle her.

Laziness has crept up on a lot of parents, there are too many parents that have no business being parents, and some parents that can't even spell "parent".
This is really becoming a sad, and also scary thing, because this is the future that we are talking about. Like Bernie Mac said, "Ain't no more Big Mama's" Big Mama was that old black woman with the cigarette hanging out of her mouth and the wig tilted to the side that kept a big fat switch in her purse "just in case." Big Mama could look at you and make you sit down and stop doing wrong without her having to speak a word.

I know my nerves are bad, plus, although I absolutely love small kids, I don't want any of my own. I will accept them into my life if I happen to date or marry someone that has them, but for me to have some? Nada!

I miss those Big Mamas.