Well this is a start!

This is the start of something that I hope people can understand. Something that you are more than welcome to contribute to.



I know that we have all gone through our days and we see people do things. Some good, some bad, some so smart that your in awe.. or like most days, you see something so innately stupid your just left wondering what the hell someone was thinking??



I was reading something on the net the other day and it was an article about a teenage girl that stepped into a open manhole while texting. She really wasn't injured. More her pride than anything I am sure. Now at first read I thought how irresponsible it was for the manhole to be uncovered on a busy walkway in NYC... Aha, but of course upon closer inspection, there were workers present. They were in the process of blocking off the area so that no one would accidentally step off into this open manhole. So this teenager, who is not paying attention to her surroundings, in a big city like NYC, with no parental supervision, is texting as she is walking. She lost one of her shoes to the manhole when she fell... a few scrapes and bruises and now the parents are considering a lawsuit.



Hmmm...



Ok, here is where my rant starts. Just a warning. The only one you get...



In this day and age, don't you think that the teenager in question might hold the ultimate responsibility for the "accident"?? Or even better the parents?? These are the same people that gave the child the cell phone in the first place. Maybe remedial training in paying attention is required here. I am sure at some point, (ok I am a optimist), the parents told the child about being aware of her surroundings? In case something happens? What if that had been a stranger that reached out and grabbed her, not a open manhole?



Oh and the parents want to sue? Who do you think they should sue? The city for the open manhole? Maybe the cell phone provider for the texting?



I am thinking that maybe Parenting 101 is in order. Your child does something clumsy / irresponsible and you want to sue? What kind of lesson do you suppose that sends to the child? Your only furthering the lack of responsibility issue that this recent generation is already suffering from.



If, just once, you forced your children to take responsibility for their actions, you might find that this world is a little nicer place to live.



Back years ago, a very old and wise man I once knew, explained to me that when you get in front of something, immediately, you can head off any trouble that might have ensued should you tried to have avoided it. For those of you that are younger than I am (I am only 43)... Getting in front of something means taking responsibility for something you did. Not dodging it.



I can honestly now say that the adage of common sense is gone. It really is true that if sense was so common, more people would have it.



I will continue to add to this over time. Please feel free to check back and see what I am pondering today... Feel free to drop me a comments and give me some ideas.