The Pardoned Parent

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The Pardoned Parent

There is a new breed of parent walking among us. Whether we recognized it or not, we have all run into one of them at one time or another. Maybe it was the young mother in the grocery store who handed her screeching child the candy she had just finished telling him he could not have. Maybe it was the man who sat obliviously behind you on the airplane, while his little boy ran up and down the aisle, screaming at the top of his lungs. These are the pardoned parents.

To pardon means to excuse, absolve, exonerate, condone, or justify. A pardon for a crime can be granted by a head of state, such as a monarch or a president. If a pardon is granted, it means the person is absolved of all wrong-doing and any punishment associated with that crime is no longer required. The pardoned parent is one who excuses or exempts him or herself from responsibility for his or her child’s actions.

These parents believe that their children’s bad behavior is in no way caused by anything that they may or may not have done. They have many, many excuses for the obnoxious behavior of their children. A few of the most common are: ADHD, blood sugar fluctuations, allergies, Asperger’s syndrome, sleep disorders, hunger, thirst, exposure to violent games and television shows, dyslexia, and autism.

The truth of the matter is that though these illnesses and conditions do exist, and they may exacerbate bad behavior, they do not excuse it. Parents are still responsible for teaching their children to control themselves. This may be more difficult under some circumstances, but very rarely is it impossible. One of the biggest responsibilities of parents is to teach their children the skills they will need in order to become successful adults. Som...

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...are no longer under any obligation to even attempt to control the actions of their children. Not only do these parents believe that they are blameless, they also resent any infringement on what they believe is their children’s right to behave badly. Pardoned parents expect others to ignore, at all cost, the rude, selfish behavior of their children. So, the next time you are sitting in church and a boy sits behind you, kicking your chair and talking loudly while his mother does nothing, pretend you don’t notice because it is very likely that both parent and child have already been pardoned for their actions.

Works Cited

1 “The Miracle Worker”. Wikepedia. 2011. Web. 10 March 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_Worker

2. L. Coates. “Famous People with Asperger’s Syndrome or Similar Autistic Traits”. Asperger’s Syndrome.ME.UK. 2011. Web. 10 March 2011

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