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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Jan. 10, 2005
/ 29 Teves, 5765
Parents on Strike
By
Ruben Navarrette Jr.
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Many Americans are confronting their greatest challenge. It's not making a living, making a career for themselves, or making a difference in the world.
It's parenthood.
Hollywood has picked up the cue. In one current release, "Spanglish,'' the characters struggle with parenting challenges across the cultural divide. In a forthcoming Vin Diesel movie, "The Pacifier," the muscular protagonist isn't battling bad guys. He's baby-sitting.
In researching the role, Diesel could have gotten some advice from real-life parents who, at wit's end, had to go to extreme lengths to control their unruly children.
For a lesson about what not to do, there is the woeful example of Cat and Harlan Barnard of Deltona, Fla. Having run out of ideas about how to get their two children to help with household chores, the Barnards recently went "on strike.'' They moved out of the house and pitched a tent on the front lawn until the kids changed their freeloading ways.
It has come to this. Parents who come from a generation that 15 years ago placed "Baby on Board'' stickers on their cars are now holding picket signs that read, "Parents on Strike'' and "Seeking Cooperation and Respect.''
Cat Barnard said she and her husband had tried every flavor of psychology imaginable. They offered rewards. They withheld allowances. They promised. They threatened. Nothing worked.
The poor things. They should have tried being better parents and done it early enough in their children's lives so that it made an impact. I hear it from good parents all the time: Lay down the rules to your kids when they're 5 or pay the price when they're 15. A couple I know requires their two daughters, both in elementary school, to do their own laundry, change their own sheets and wash their own dishes.
There was a time when such a thing wouldn't have been considered so extraordinary. Unfortunately today, with housekeepers so common, it is. Maybe I'm being unfair. Maybe the Barnards are perfectly fine parents, but, somewhere along the line, they obviously failed at one part of the job that is pretty important: instilling a sense of discipline and obedience in their children. We're talking about a 12-year-old and a 17-year-old. Either age is old enough for one to know the difference between a home and a hotel, and to long ago have been disabused of the notion that they could skate through childhood and adolescence without taking out the garbage, picking up a broom or mowing the lawn.
And why are the parents in exile, while their lazy offspring sleep warm and cozy in their own beds? If anyone should have relocated to the front yard, it's the kids.
Or maybe something less severe would have done the trick. Consider the wonderful story of the father in Pasadena, Texas. Fed up with three misbehaving sons, ages 9, 11 and 15, he sold their Christmas presents on eBay.
The father, who refused to identify himself to reporters, said that he and his wife had warned the lads several times to shape up or watch the toys be shipped out. Apparently, the little ones are quite spirited fighting with each other, using obscene language and the like. At one point, the oldest went so far as to dare his parents to make good on their threat to sell the gifts.
They did. The final touch was when the parents called the naughty boys to a family meeting and showed them what they wouldn't be getting for Christmas: three Nintendo DS video game systems, each loaded with a video game. Those are some pretty nice gifts and because of this father's resolve, they will go to needy families in the Houston area. GoldenPalace.com, an online casino based in Antigua, paid more than $5,000 for the three systems and will give them away.
The father, who intends to donate the money to his church, has said that he feels rotten that this had to happen. He shouldn't. He did the right thing. Would that more parents were willing to be the household heavy now and then to instill in their children a notion of right and wrong.
So often these days, parents are taught to accept their children as they are. What these stories remind us is that parents have a responsibility to do something much more important: teach their children what is and isn't acceptable.
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© 2005 WPWG
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