Bumping heads.

Here’s a message to the designers of games with an “18” tag

– a pox on all your houses. And the same to the parents of the children in my son’s age group who allow their kids to play this vile stuff.

Ok, that’s a wee bit strong admittedly but I am SICK of saying no to the wee fella who has recently taken Pester Power to new levels. If he takes this quality of persistence in to other areas of his life as he matures we will have no worries at all about his future.

Two HOURS on Saturday.

An hour on Sunday.

Two hours yesterday.

And I’m certain his mother got the same treatment.

We were sitting in the bookshop after scouting one of the game shops. Which made him feel even worse because all of the games he wanted were rated 18.. .and the conversations went something like this...

Him – How can I be the oldest boy in the class and the ONLY one not allowed to play 18 games?

Me – Thems the breaks, kid.

Him – tell me again why not?

Me – because it’s illegal.

Him – Give me a GOOD reason why not.

Me – because it’s illegal.

He sighs dramatically and then stares at me as if trying to burn a hole in my forehead with his will. I wear my best bored expression. The one I wear when celebrity TV is on.

Me – what are you doing?

Him – just looking.

Me – you’re good at it.

Him – oh, so now you say I’m good at something.

Me – you’re good at everything you put your mind to, son.

Him – except persuading you and mum to allow me to play 18 games.

Me – you speak much truth, young man.

Him – but daaaaaaad, EVERYbody else in my school gets to play them. They think I’m a freak. (He’s now wearing a petted lip the size of my sofa – and I feel a wee bit guilty)

Me – what does your Mum say?

Him – she says no. She always says no.

Me – well there you go.

Him – but Daaaaaad, what’s the worst that could happen?

Me – your mind becomes deeply but subtly flawed over a number of years and you go crazy from a bell tower with a rifle and kill everybody you see.

Him – you REALLY think I could kill people? Do you really not trust me, dad? Do you really think I could so something like that? I could never hurt anyone...

Me – of course I trust you...calm down...I’m just giving you an extreme example.

Him – I could NEVER hurt anyone, Dad – he crosses his arms – and I’m REALLY hurt that you could say something like that.

Me (looking for a metaphorical shovel to move away some of the metaphorical shite I am metaphorically standing knee deep in) – I’m not saying I think you are capable of doing something like that...

Him – so why say it, dad? Don’t you trust me? (He’s big on trust.)

Me – of course I trust you, but this stuff is too violent and you are not of an age to process the images you see in these games safely.

Him – So. People get their heads ripped off and shot to pieces. So what – he shrugs – it’s not real, Dad. I KNOW it’s not real and I’m not going to copy ANY of that stuff. I’m not crazy.

I’m now wondering how and where he learned to speak in capitals.

Him – please, Dad, pleeeeeeeease? All the other kids laugh at me. They think I’m a loser.

Me (feeling really shitty) – ok, I’ll speak to your Mum.

Him – oh (crosses his arms) so she’s the boss of you then?

Me – nobody is the boss. We agreed on this together and I’m not going to go behind her back and break the deal. Besides, you might want to re-think your tactic here. You’re trying to win me over by being nice and then you suddenly go for the cheap shot and try to offend me.

We settle into silence. I carry on reading my book. He carries on drilling my forehead with his eyes, like he’s trying to hypnotise me with his thoughts.

Him – Dad, pleeeeee....

Me – No. No. No. And I’ll tell you something else. Keep on doing this and you won’t get ANY games for your Xbox.

I realise I’m shouting when people around us look over.

He crosses his arms and his chin slumps on to his chest – sorry, dad.

Me – s’okay, buddy.

I pat his arm. Without even the slightest note of being patronising.

Me – there must be some good games for kids your age.

Him – there was that one – he mentions something by name. Means nothing to me.

Me – why don’t you go across to the shop and get that while I finish my coffee?

Him – but it’s a 12.

Me – and you’ll be 12 in a couple of weeks.

Him – yeah, in a couple of weeks. You want me to LIE?

Kidstuff

Punctuation is a dying art, n’est ce pas?

I was in a bank the other day. They had a rather large tree (almost as big as mine) in the lobby. There was a sign under the tree that read...

Don’t Touch Children

For the want of a comma, a request to the kids turned out to be a warning for the local paedos.



Seeing as we were talking about kids, (Yes we were. Kinda) let me share this with you…



HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.

-- Derrick, age 8 (mmm, wonder if anyone phoned social services for this kid?)



WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don't want any more kids.

-- Lori, age 8 (There's a family that talks.)



WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough...

-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a love?)



On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.

-- Martin, age 10  (eyes wide open that one)



WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.

-- Craig, age 9 (this boy should run courses on the art of Perspective)



WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they're rich.

-- Pam, age 7 (exactly)



The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them... It's the right thing to do.

-- Howard, age 8 ( I keep telling the wee fella this. Think he believes me?)



IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys.. Boys need someone to clean up after them.

-- Anita, age 9 (EXACTLY!)



HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.

-- Ricky, age 10    (He'll be married forever)

Terror in Surburia: Campaigns Waged Against Neighborhoods By Antisocial Kids

Anti-Social Behavior of Young Children:
Turns USA Small Towns into Disturbia



A recent Dear Abby contained a plea from "Afraid in Wisconsin" who expressed concerns about the behavior of a new neighbor's 11-yr-old son. This letter highlighted the plight of many who live in a suburbia across America: antisocial kids who terrorize their neighborhoods, and the inability to deal with them.

"Afraid in Wisconsin" wrote how new neighbors had built a home on the lot next door and the "antisocial behavior" of their 11-yr-old son. How the boy had tried to coax "Afraid's" dog into his yard, played roughly with their three small children, and used vulgar language with their 8-yr-old daughter. "Afraid" noted that other neighbors had seen the boy abuse his dog and "other animals". When "Afraid" had approached the boy's mother, "Afraid" was told that her son "wouldn't behave that way".

Here is Dear Abby's answer to "Afraid in Wisconsin":

"DEAR AFRAID: You have described a child who is emotionally disturbed and parents who are in denial. Because the neighbors have seen him abuse animals, a report should be made to the police and the department of animal welfare in your community. This boy has no empathy for others and needs professional help. Until he gets it, you are wise to be concerned about your children. Keep a watchful eye."

Parents such as "Afraid in Wisconsin" face the same plight that countless other families endure in neighborhoods across America: the effects of an antisocial kid's behavior on the neighborhood where he resides.

Antisocial Behavior

According to Donald Black, M.D., Antisocial Personality, or ASP, is a disorder related to a "guiltless pattern of social irresponsibility" which begins in early childhood or adolescence. Antisocial behaviors range from "relatively minor acts, such as lying or cheating, to heinous acts, including torture, rape and murder". Black makes the observation that ASP is rarely acknowledged or recognized:

"As psychiatrist Hervey Cleckley once noted, the antisocial person is “the forgotten man of psychiatry who probably causes more unhappiness and more perplexity to the public than all mentally disordered patients combined.” "

This also applies to suburbia and the antisocial kids currently terrorizing neighbors and neighborhoods.

Clark wrote that the "causes" of ASP are still unknown. Evidence of ASP, a mental health issue, point to inherited traits, as well as a "hereditary basis", and environmental factors.

Theories as to the cause of ASP include abnormalities in development of the nervous system whose symptoms may include persistent bed wetting and hyperactivity. Another theory is mothers who smoked during pregnancy resulting in lowered oxygen levels to the fetus.

Abnormal brain function and neurotransmitter serotonin have been linked to impulsive and aggressive behavior.

"Social and home environment" may also be key factors relating to ASP: parents of antisocial kids "show a high level of antisocial behavior". Homes of ASP kids may include alcoholism, divorce, criminal activity, or an absence of a parent. Parenting may be "erratic or inappropriate discipline and inadequate supervision". Antisocial parents "lack motivation" in supervising their children. Children raised in this atmosphere can become "self-absorbed" and "indifferent to others" as well as have "little regard for rules". Lacking proper roles models, ASP kids solve disputes using aggression. ASP kids also fail to develop empathy.

There are many parents who raised their ASP child in a caring and loving environment. These parents face a bewildering and daunting task of getting treatment for a child who has a behavior problem whose cause is still unknown. These parents do not negate the concerns of their neighbors. It's when neighbors, who are dealing with an ASP kid terrorizing the neighborhood, find the parent, or parents, are in denial or simply "doesn't care" what their ASP kid is up to when frustration sets in.

The mother of the boy whom "Afraid" wrote Dear Abby about, claimed her son wouldn't "behave that way". The mother inferred that "Afraid", who contacted her about her son's behavior, was making up "stories" about her son. The mother, who in essence had called "Afraid" a liar, was in denial about her son's behavior.

"Afraid" encountered what many other neighbors across America have discovered to their dismay: some parents are unwilling to deal with their antisocial kids. This left "Afraid" with the problem of having to deal with a "creepy" kid in the neighborhood who may or may not harm "Afraid's" children. The dynamics of "Afraid's" neighborhood had changed from what was once a safe and happy haven to raise one's kids, to having to "watch" a neighbor's child in order to protect one's own children or pets.

Cases such as the one above are becoming more commonplace--or at least are more publicized.

What other recent cases have troubled quiet neighborhoods?

Continue reading: Terror in Surburia: Campaigns Waged Against Neighborhoods By Antisocial Kids

by LBG
Source: Terror in Surburia: Campaigns Waged Against Neighborhoods By Antisocial Kids