There appears to be a plague of smug, self-congratulatory passive-aggressive jackasses on the internet who find it necessary to write “open letters” to strangers about their parenting, or their reaction to parenting. This seems to be the formula:
Dear, [Person who Did or Did Not Do A Thing I Thought You Should(n’t)],
I don’t approve of your actions, because [I have so much opinion and no real idea of what’s going on.]
I don’t approve of your [seemingly extreme action]. You’re a bad person because I, as a clueless outsider, say you ought to have done something else that I can judge from outside.
Smugly,
Me, the self-congratulatory fame-seeker
Pretend you’re a breastfeeding mother, feeding your child in public. Pretend you’re the parent of a toddler, quelling a tempter tantrum in public. Pretend you’re the parent of a grade-schooler, throwing a tantrum in public. Pretend you’re the parent of a special-needs person of any age, having a social issue in public. This person wants your kid to be perfect, but won’t allow you to do what you must.
My response is, to be succinct: FUCK OFF.
What right does the internet have to parent your child? Why do we live in a culture of fear where some random jackass with no idea what’s going on can videotape a few seconds of something and call your parenting in to question by one call? We NEED to regulate DHS and Child Protective Services. They have too much authority, not enough finesse, and not enough oversight.