upstater1
Hall of Fame Poster
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- Nov 29, 2005
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This is a common refrain, a constant question and fallout from what happened this week.
I have kids. I encourage them to keep up to date on what's happening in the world. They already know something about media-hype and scandals, why and how they are reported, but also our warped perspectives and priorities.
I try not to give them my perspective or point-of-view. In each case, I encourage them to get the specifics and details before they make a judgement. I tell them to figure out the context in which a media event is taking place. It's up to them to decide if something is cheating or not. At the age of 11 and 7 they already know not to trust entirely what people in authority have to say.
I'm sorry that Tom Jackson isn't a good enough Dad to teach his daughter how to be more discerning. But his defense, "What do we tell the kids?" is pretty hollow.
My daughter, on her own, after discussing it for awhile, came to the conclusion that the Patriots cheated. But she put it into the context of what normally happens in the NFL. She already knew that 300 pound behemoths who can run this fast is a bit unnatural. She already knows about the drugs. She knows that, if you're watching the NFL and cheering these teams on, you can get easily disgusted if you peel back the facade. As a joke, I said to her, it's like complaining about the small bikinis in beach volleyball, and she laughed.
Now, I'm not going to lie. There is some fallout from teaching your kids to be circumspect and suspicious. Like my daughter's penchant for talking back and challenging her parents on practically everything. And I hear it from my wife. "That's the way you raised her." Still, I'm proud of the kid, and I'm proud that she's not so jaded and cynical that she still can call her favorite team cheaters because she still believes in fair play. Her dad doesn't because he thinks the league is so hypocritical in this regard. My daughter just thinks cheating is cheating no matter what. That's fine with me. At least she has a realistic sense of the world and how it operates. Me, I'm going to be a bit arrogant and sanctimonious here, but only because the target of my scorn deserves it for being a hypocritical sanctimonius sucker: I'm a better Dad than Tom Jackson.
I have kids. I encourage them to keep up to date on what's happening in the world. They already know something about media-hype and scandals, why and how they are reported, but also our warped perspectives and priorities.
I try not to give them my perspective or point-of-view. In each case, I encourage them to get the specifics and details before they make a judgement. I tell them to figure out the context in which a media event is taking place. It's up to them to decide if something is cheating or not. At the age of 11 and 7 they already know not to trust entirely what people in authority have to say.
I'm sorry that Tom Jackson isn't a good enough Dad to teach his daughter how to be more discerning. But his defense, "What do we tell the kids?" is pretty hollow.
My daughter, on her own, after discussing it for awhile, came to the conclusion that the Patriots cheated. But she put it into the context of what normally happens in the NFL. She already knew that 300 pound behemoths who can run this fast is a bit unnatural. She already knows about the drugs. She knows that, if you're watching the NFL and cheering these teams on, you can get easily disgusted if you peel back the facade. As a joke, I said to her, it's like complaining about the small bikinis in beach volleyball, and she laughed.
Now, I'm not going to lie. There is some fallout from teaching your kids to be circumspect and suspicious. Like my daughter's penchant for talking back and challenging her parents on practically everything. And I hear it from my wife. "That's the way you raised her." Still, I'm proud of the kid, and I'm proud that she's not so jaded and cynical that she still can call her favorite team cheaters because she still believes in fair play. Her dad doesn't because he thinks the league is so hypocritical in this regard. My daughter just thinks cheating is cheating no matter what. That's fine with me. At least she has a realistic sense of the world and how it operates. Me, I'm going to be a bit arrogant and sanctimonious here, but only because the target of my scorn deserves it for being a hypocritical sanctimonius sucker: I'm a better Dad than Tom Jackson.
