[mzdagrl]

Whoa guys, I was throwing out another option! All I am saying is that there are many reasons why so many kids are being babysat by the TV, and one of those is hands-off parenting. I'm not saying every house should have a stay-at-home parent, and I'm not saying there aren't other ways to be involved. As a latchkey kid, one of the thigns my parents stressed to me was that it was important for me to be responsible early. By the time I was in Junior high I was playing sports and doing afterschoola ctivities, which made me home later than my paretns, and I did that all through high school. Hell, I even did extracurriculars in college. They (my parents) weren't around all the time, but they knew that they still needed to be involved to be a parent. Prime example, when I was in high school, my mom was a high school principal. She ran the school next state over (rivals in basketball and soccer, only about 15 mins away), so many of the considerations that are made for scheduling didn't apply. One of these was schools in our area each had different days for graduations so that teachers who had kids graduating could attend both. My mom's graduation was scheduled not only for the same day, but for the same time as mine. She told them that she wouldn't be able to make hers, and went to mine. It is about sacrifice. Too many employers nowadays would have said, "Fine you can't make it, you can't work here." I have had employers say that for a lot less. With so many families in dire need of every penny, a lot of parents might hear that threat and be scared into missing junior's graduation. These are just examples, I am not saying everyone had this childhood. I am pointing out how it might be different now than it was 10 years ago when an intelligent adult with a college degree didn't have to work 2+ jobs to pay for a $300,000 tiny house in a shitty part of town. Another example. I have a B.A. in psychology. 10 years ago that could have gotten me a decent paying job doing pretty much anything. Now, I am qualified for sales and retail, or a master's degree. If I worked in a group home with my degree, I would be qualified as a residential specialist. Average pay $8/hour. What the hell did I go to school for? I made more than that at the grocery store in high school.