Responsibility

I had an encounter yesterday that I couldn’t let pass without commenting on. This is a bit of a rant, so if you are not in the mood, you have been warned.

I was standing outside the school where my son and daughter attend. Yesterday was my daughter’s first day of preschool and I had picked her up first because the preschool class gets out twenty minutes before my son’s class. I was standing there with my daughter waiting for my son and she was bored as a four year old would tend to get. She asked me if I would play rock-paper-scissors with her and she and I were having a good time.

A little boy came up to us who, as I found out later, is in my daughter’s class. He was a little odd, but then again, he is four. He wanted to play with us, but he really didn’t seem like he knew what was what so he just kinda stood there blankly staring at us. His mother then looked over at me and said, “Oh that’s just my son, I guess he plays too much Gears of War.” Did I mention that the kid is FOUR!

Really?!?!

Gears of War…the FPS where you go around eviscerating people with a chain saw and dropping F-bombs. What’s next, booting up Duke Nukem for the kid? Maybe after watching a SAW marathon or something.

Parents, please listen. You don’t need a license to have a child, but raising one is the single most important responsibility you have once you do. Things are quite simple. If there is a giant “M” on the box, please don’t let your 4 year old play it. There are plenty of age appropriate games out there for them…pick one. I’m not going to say that I am the perfect father or anything, but at least have some common sense folks.

-Pid