Friday Dilemma: child cruelty or harmless fun?

amy says:

11:58am | 10/02/12

I dont know about the Video

but somthing just doesnt feel right about those child “beauty pagents” not so much for the girls..but the parents, they are phsychopaths

parenting is only somthing I’ll comment on if I have kids

Kristian says:

12:05pm | 10/02/12

For cricket, everyone gets two overs minimum, after that if you’re out, you’re out.

Testfest says:

12:14pm | 10/02/12

Is your son the only child playing backyard cricket? If he is, then sure, let him keep batting. Although at some point you will have to explain there are consequences for getting out. I recommend you do this before he goes to school and plays cricket with the other kids.

If there are other kids involved in your backyard game then it’s a no brainer - give him 3 lives but after that out means out, and he hands the bat over to someone else. Then teach him to bowl. Unlimited overs!

Carz says:

12:17pm | 10/02/12

Letting little girls dress up and sing songs isn’t a problem. But letting them do it in front of millions could be setting them up for a very hard fall to reality in later years. It depends on how the parents approach is. If it is put out there as “This is just a bit of fun, have a good time” and don’t make a huge deal about it then I don’t think it’s too bad. Without it we wouldn’t have numerous movies and tv shows with children in them. It’s when the parents think their child is the Second Coming, and treat them as such, that there are likely to be problems.

As for the backyard cricket - if he’s out he’s out. If you are just having a friendly hit of the ball, and not calling it a game, then those outs can be used to show how technique can be changed, and learn more about the skills of the game. But if you are calling it a game then I would be loathe to let one child control things. They need to learn the rules, and beyond that, that accepting an out is being fair and allows everybody to have a go.

gobsmack says:

12:23pm | 10/02/12

Let the boy keep batting until he gets a 329 not out.

M says:

12:48pm | 10/02/12

The child beauty thing is, in my mind, child abuse.

Let the boy have as many outs as he wants, It’s only backyard cricket, and surely the fact that he his outside and enjoying himself is more important than curtailing his fun soley for strict adherance to rules. That is, unless it’s being unfair to the other kids (if there are other kids), in which case i’d say they’re all allowed to have 3 strikes before being properly out.

But hey, I’m just some random person on the internet, don’t take to heart how I think you should bring up your own kids.

If he wants to take up competitive cricket he’ll come to terms with the concept of being out pretty quick.

HappyCynic says:

01:15pm | 10/02/12

Your son needs a couple of older brothers to play with, that way the rules get enforced.  Playing against parents is always unfair but since time travel isn’t possible to create the older brothers then you may just have to arrange a regular backyard cricket session with a few of the neighbours and ensure the rules get enforced by acting as umpire   I had 2 younger brothers and a handful of sisters who used to love nothing more than a game of cricket, ah good days…

As for the other crap, too depressing and smacks of blind, tone-deaf, helicopter parents behind the scenes egging their perfect little animals on to more and more crimes against humanity.  I wouldn’t call it child cruelty, more like children inflicting cruelty on the rest of us.

Wynston Cruso says:

01:39pm | 10/02/12

I find the little girls creepy. Like in their spare time they walk around wiggling their index finger repeating the work ‘redrum’ over and over in between mutilating dolls and splicing GI Joes with barbies.

Nothing wrong with letting your boy have some fun, although when it comes time to play with other kids they might think he’s a bit of a jerk face when he never gets out. Buy him a WoW subscription so that he can learn the real life value of anonymously flaming people online and spamming trade chat.

Wilma J Craig says:

02:00pm | 10/02/12

Sonia, may be you should sit your spoilt son down & make him play a few games of Snakes & Ladders, enforcing the rules & making him obey them. If your son has, as you say, just started school and he is already displaying an inability to accept losing then he has been totally over-indulged in being always allowed to win childrens games. Losing at Snakes & Ladders is a building block which teaches children in a fun way how to lose & to expect to do so.
Guess who’s fault that is?

Rick of the Dustbowl says:

02:40pm | 10/02/12

Don’t be soft just bowl the kid a few fast bouncers he’ll soon want to get out…....out of the way

Noely says:

02:55pm | 10/02/12

I have no idea what to say about those girls, it beggars belief that any parent could think that is OK…

With your kid though, probably some outs would be good.  We used to have one kid in the neighborhood who was an only child & spoilt and the rest of us only played cricket with him cause our parents made us, and mate, did that kid know it…  Our family used to have a rule when all the kids were having the big family barbecues, which worked well.  If you were under 5, you got 5 chances, If you were under 7 you got 4, If you were under 10 you got 3, If you were under 12 you got 2 and if you were high school or above, stiff bikkies, out in one.  It really did work, and some of the younger kids would love it when they got older & up to that next level.  My family have been doing that with all the cousins for decades and never any fights.  It is when one kid is allowed more than another that fights start.

Henry says:

03:11pm | 10/02/12

If its your kid misbehaving it’s because they’re tired - if its someone else’s it is obviously either bad parenting, or a genetic disposition towards evildoing in the child…

Bitten says:

03:24pm | 10/02/12

pre-Madonna?

Oh, snap!

JACS says:

03:32pm | 10/02/12

That video of Grace and Rosie is just disturbing. What are their parents thinking ? Singing RAP songs that are so not age appropriate, hanging on Ellen, getting even more gifts from Ellen (this is the second appearance) being reporters for the American Music Awards and the Grammy’s ! They are just being manipulated. They should be at home playing dressups not out on the red carpet.

SKA says:

03:48pm | 10/02/12

It’s normal for kids to want to sing and dance along to music they come across so that music is not age appropriate doesn’t worry me. My mother has fond memories of buying me a cassette of the Rocky Horror Picture Show because I had heard the Time Warp and loved it only to receive a call from the Primary School concerned that a 5 year old was singing “Touch-a-touch-a”. She told them that given I didn’t understand what I was singing, to ban me from singing it would only encourage me and to explain the meaning to me was a stupid way of removing my innocence too young while if they left things be, I’d get sick of it - which I did and moved on to the lion king soundtrack next…

What I do have an issue with in the Ellen situation is that the children are too young to deal with the fall out of this. Too young to understand what the attention means and too young to understand when the audience gets bored with them. Otherwise, I just find the kids irritating and boring - and a bit precocious. I personally hate it when little kids are on talent shows, so nauseating and tedious!

I can't beleive it hasn't been said yet says:

04:02pm | 10/02/12

for gods sake, won’t someone think of the children?

Nathan Explosion says:

05:11pm | 10/02/12

If I had a daughter, and she really really wanted to be in a paegent, I’d probably let her. But I’d like to think I’d sit her down and explain what these paegents are really like and that if she wanted to sing, me and her mum would be choosing the songs and choosing what she was wearing.

Lars says:

07:49pm | 10/02/12

Typically American in being OTT.  What gets me is Ellen’s encouragement of the whole Tiara - treat em like Princesses - approach.  I am a little surprised as I usually find her shows quite entertaining without resorting to such tactics.
Whilst it may not be harmful right now, the girls seem to be excited, they are not particularly talented - I will give them points on tenacity.  This is a very modest appearance in comparison to some of the Dance Competitions that feature across the States - five year old girls wearing sequiny tops and leather shorts revealing the curve of their butt with ‘f##ck me boots’. 
I certainly hope that Australia does not continue to follow their lead.  I find YTT a good example in that the girls and boys wear moderately age-appropriate clothing.  It doesn’t make them any less interesting and lets their talent shine rather than their looks taking on the focus.

Edwina says:

08:40pm | 10/02/12

If your son had one or two siblings, you won’t hear the end of the screaming if he’s not given out when he’s out…..kids run to you with questions and explanations like ‘dad, if you’re out fair and square, does that mean you’re out?’ ...’‘well I bowled a yorker….and’ ....‘no, I played a cover drive…and’. Out of the mouths of five and six year olds…ad nauseam! Out is OUT!.

BJ says:

10:25pm | 10/02/12

Any child should be able to cope with cricket. If the ball hits the wicket, you are out.If you are caught on the full, you are out. The problem with pagents is how can you really judge who the cutest eight year old is? It must be terrible for a child’s self-esteem to fail and not know why.

Tony of Poorakistan says:

12:33pm | 11/02/12

I would hope you are bringing him up to know that working for the Big Four Banks is one small step from snatching pensioners’ handbags.

I’d change my name and leave the state if my offspring came home and announced they’d taken a job with NAB ...