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Blog Entry 143 of 178

Shadows of our fathers - Part I
Contributed by: Kevin Platts   on 5/12/2007

The young man looked forward to the Friday night all week long. Friday nights were the best nights of all as the young man could go straight from school to the high school football stadium and catch one of the local teams in action.

He didn't have any money, which could be a problem when it came to getting food to satisfy his hunger, but he was sure he could bum some money from friends as he usually did, which was his normal course of action.

Once Friday night arrived, the young man headed straight to the field. He wasn't a member of the football team, but at least in his mind, he was the best player on the practice field, which was just behind the stadium grandstands.

See, every Friday night, the young man and many of his friends player their own brand of tackle football. No bright lights, no cheerleaders, but as exciting as an NFL game to those who played.

There were many good players, but few with the abilities of the young man. He simply ran faster, had more moves and had more desire than the other players. His one fault was he simply wasn't big enough to play on the high school team.

A couple more inches and a few more pounds and the young man was sure everything would be different. Until that day, the young man would simply dominate the games on the practice field.

As usual the young man played in the pick-up game and at least in his mind was the star of the show. He never had any contact with his family, who scarcely had any idea where he was at. He certainly knew where they were though. His mother and father were sitting in the bar, while his little brother was left unattended and was running the streets.

Following the Friday night football experience, the young man walks the two miles to his house and upon arrival quickly confirms that as usual, he is locked out. See, his parents, and especially his father, really don't care much for the kids. They have minimal contact with them and certainly don't worry about them being locked out of the house.

As usual, the young man is forced to sit on the porch waiting for his parents to come home. Like always, he has already checked the entire outside of the house and has confirmed it is locked up like Fort Knox.

Unfortunately, the football season can run into late fall, therefore, like many Friday nights, it is very cold and getting colder by the minute. Not to worry though. The young man will simply use the throw rug, which is used to clean one's shoes, as a blanket until his parents come home and allow him inside.

Many hours pass, but his drunk parents eventually come home at about 3:00 in the morning. Once his parents are safely inside the house, the young man "sneaks" inside and quietly slides into his bed. He is forced to sneak as he doesn't want to disturb his father, which typically results in a "tongue lashing" and sometimes escalates into a beating.

Why would anyone do this to their own child? Why bring kids into the world, yet want nothing to do with them? Doesn't make sense, but this kind of "parenting" goes on everyday.

What happens to this child as they grow up? Do they go to college? To jail? What exactly happens to a child that is shown no love and is left to fend for themselves at a very young age? Can this child grow to be a success or have they simply been marked for failure?

Follow this series of articles as we discuss some of the things parents knowingly and unknowingly do to their very own children. Plus, what are the ramifications to the parents, family and child based on these actions.

To read my other thoughts, please visit my blog at: www.advice-smoke-and-mirrors.blogspot.com



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Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
Submitted By: Kevin Platts
posted on 5/16/2007 @ 5:20:59 PM
Rated Blog Entry
Mr. Rule - I am sorry you don't find my topic to your liking. Also sorry to see that even though you are a parent you apparently dismiss child abuse as an issue that can and should be discussed in this forum!
Submitted By: Michael Rule
posted on 5/14/2007 @ 9:08:06 PM
Rated Blog Entry
Guess I'd better buy a new throw rug......
Showing 1-2 of 2 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Kevin Platts

Parker , CO

Kevin Platts has posted 178 blog entries and 5 comments since joining on 5/16/2006. Kevin Platts's average blog rating is 4.8.
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