Bad Parenting

I was watching the American Idol the other night (because I have no respect for myself) and was surprised to discover that I had learned something. The absolute worst thing a parent can do to their child is tell them that they can accomplish anything they want to in life, if they only try.

No words could be more damaging to a child's sense of reality than these. There were contestants on this show who sincerely and honestly believed they could sing, but whose performance caused me both physical and emotional pain. Obviously, somewhere down the line, someone must have told these kids that they had talent, else why would they be so deluded? I blame the parents. It's such a parent-thing to do.

After the obligatory cruel rejection from the judges, these kids would burst out of the doors and into the arms of their sinister, heartless parents, who likely said horrible things like, "It's okay. You did your best. There's always next time." Listen, if those parents hadn't told their kids to follow their dreams in the first place, they wouldn't even be in this ugly situation.

Stop encouraging your children, parents. Crush their spirits and step on their hopes. They will thank you for it one day, when they finally accept reality and find something they are good at. Frankly, I'm still angry at my parents for encouraging me to follow my interests. Maybe I have a decent job now, but would it have killed them to let me drop out of school and develop a heroin addiction for a change? Here I am living a pleasant life, when I could be squatting in vomit and yelling at street lamps. Honest to goodness street lamps! It's enough to make you weep.