Torture

I am working at my part-time job right now (the one that I was working at before my library job) and I am listening to the dull roar of ill-behaved children playing foosball and running around and disturbing other people while their parents play tennis and ignore them. Lately, I have found that there are generally two sets of parents in this world: the kind that herd their children and the kind that get herded.

The kind that herd:
They keep a fairly good watch over their kids and make sure that they don't act up too much in public places and don't destroy too much public property. They also seem to realize that other people don't find their children nearly as endearing as they do or have the ability to tune out the noise that they make. I find these kinds of parents to be responsible and doing the best they can. Their children also tend to be pleasant and as well-behaved as children are likely to be.

The kind that get herded:
These parents are being played by their children like a violin. They meekly tell them to "shush" when they are screaming and running around (which has a negligible effect, if any) like tiny yetis. They continue on with their shopping and errands without regard for the suffering of other people. Their children will most likely grow up to be serial murderers or the kind of people that show off their unencumbered body parts when getting in and out cars.

Honesty and your parents

Due to several conversations I have had this week I am inspired to ask the question: how honest are you with your parents? If I was to give a percentage I would say that I am 85% honest or upfront with my dad. I don't talk about everything with him, but I do include him in most of what is going on in my life. It has come to my attention that there are many people that lie to their parents ALL THE TIME or they keep major parts of their life hidden from them. I am talking about ADULTS. People who can join the armed services, vote for president, drink legally and they still lie to their mommy and daddy about having a few beers. I don't get this. What are they afraid of? It seems sad to me that they feel they have to hide their true selves. Aren't parents supposed to love you despite your shortcomings?

Percentage-wise, how honest are you?

P.S. I do have to say that there are some people that are TOO honest with their parents. They tell them everything and I mean everything. One of the best things my mom told me was that she wanted me to feel like I could talk to her about important things, but she didn't want to know everything. That was what my friends were for. She always told me that she didn't want to be my friend (and I don't mean that in a bad way), but my mom.