George Carlin died just in time, because he would have had an aneurism otherwise....

He had diatribes against over-protective parients, and how horrible they are.

And let's face it, they ARE... insidious.

'Play-dates'... First time I heard it I thought, 'Whoa!' where does THAT come from???

Play dates. It seems to be really 'in'. 'You find a person in your financial class with a child or slightly a step above, and you PIMP your child out to play with the children of your target, because....

you create cliques, and one day, your precious will advance one notch on your social scale.

I'll probably get slammed for this, but it is my observation, and my experience that there is a certain sort of person out there who will overlook ANYTHING just to get a toehold on 'something'.

My childhood was so 'free'... I had parameters and rules, when to be home, and otherwise... I didn't have to have a helmet on when I rode a bike, I was never grilled about where I was, or who I saw, and at one point, I saw some very 'bad' kids, and met the mother of the kid who was a pro wrestler, she was violent. And her son was quick with a switchblade. He ended back in Juvie...

I could run through neighborhoods, and learn.... in the end analysis. That violence was NOTHING. And would never help you.

But to even THINK you could rise above coarseness, and anger...

My goodness.... Carlin was right. Your children are going to make huge mistakes and you will feel terrible about them. You will make mistakes, and feel terrible about them.

And the greatest sin of all? You'll never discuss them.