Quick Poll

Did you agree with President Obama's decision on Thursday to waive the No Child Left Behind requirements in 10 states, including Georgia?

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Friday, November 13, 2009 in Opinion

Bits and pieces

Being a parent has never been easy. There's always one more thing to worry about. Especially in a society where so many are so eager to invent problems that never before existed.

For instance, in years past, if you mentioned the words "kids" and "curious" in the same sentence, normal people assumed you were talking about children being "curious" about sex, drugs or rock & roll. Now, parents of some adolescents have something else to worry about:

Meat.

Yes, meat.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, vegetarian parents are freaking out because their kids are getting "curious" about meat and maybe even trying a bite or two.

Oh, the horror.

Health professionals at the prestigious Mayo Clinic studied this latest (and hippest) parental concern and discovered that even devout vegetarian parents still produce kids who aren't born scared of a Big Mac. In fact, when it comes to meat, they are "curious." Which causes problems.

The Mayo study said children of vegetarians worry that (1) they might upset their folks by sneaking a bite of meat or, (2) they'll be scorned by peers for passing on it.

The Mayo Clinic's Jennifer Nelson said, "The last thing you want your [child] to do is go into the world and feel distressed that 'I have to be just like Mommy and Daddy, and I'm not seeing anything here I can eat.'"

What a needless worry for a kid. Vegetarian parents weren't born that way. They made a choice. Why can't they trust their kids to do the same instead of laying such a guilt trip on junior he freaks out when his peeps mention pepperoni on the pizza?

Speaking of health issues, in many Catholic churches, worshippers entering or leaving a church dip their hands in vessels filled with holy water and make the sign of the cross.

But with swine fu fears abounding, some worshippers are worried about dipping their fingers in water -- even holy-- that may have been touched by someone with the flu.

So Italian inventor Luciano Marabese solved the problem by creating a holy water dispenser that works like a soap dispenser in a restaurant restroom. Just wave your hand under a sensor and you get a shot of holy water.

Worshippers think it's a great idea. Me, too.

And speaking of swine flu, when's the last time you saw a hysterical government official screaming that swine flu was a horrible global pandemic that would kill trillions if we didn't cough in our sleeves or get a flu shot?

Answer ... it's been a while. The purveyors of swine flu hysteria have been strangely silent lately. Why? Has the threat of global extermination vanished?

Uh, no. Whatever danger swine flu ever posed still exists, but the same government that wants to run the entire health care system couldn't deliver enough swine flu vaccine to keep up with the artificially-created demand, so they quit talking about the problem.

That's much easier than explaining their incompetence and admitting they managed the swine flu panic about as well as the "cash for clunkers" program.

Speaking of government programs, a North Carolina middle school needed to raise money as well as test scores so they started a program that lets kids pay $20 for 20 extra points they can use to raise their grades.

Under this swell program "B" students can buy their way to an "A" and failing students can literally pay to pass a course.

So what lesson does this teach the kids? That money can solve all your problems? Let's hope not. And let's hope the school makes money available to poor children so they can participate, too.

After all, if we're going to bribe teachers to raise grades, we should make sure that no child is left behind.

(send your e-mail comments to: alex@newnan.com )

Comment On This Story

Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.

Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.