Ask Amy: Elder wonders why parents socialize with kids in tow
Parents now seem to have integrated their children more into their adult lives, and are also much more engaged in the lives of their children than were parents in previous generations. (Did your folks attend your school events?)
A higher proportion of parents are in single-parent working households now. These parents include their children in adult activities sometimes out of guilt, and sometimes necessity.
Many parents don’t feel comfortable leaving the children with a babysitter, unless the person is a family member.
Childcare is expensive, and hard to come by. Fewer teenagers babysit (perhaps because they are all at cocktail parties with their parents).
Dear Amy: My spouse and I socialize with a group of about 12 people, several times a year.
One person in the group, “Jon,” is quite outspoken on all issues.
We purposely avoid discussing politics, but Jon can overreact regarding many different social issues and current events.
Jon will assert his opinion, but when someone else brings up an opposing view, Jon gets vocal, sometimes shouting, calling people sophomoric names, gesticulating, and often – and repeatedly -- telling others that if they don’t like the way things are right now, they are welcome to leave the country.
He drowns out any opposing conversation. The host and hostess are silent during these episodes.
This situation is extremely unpleasant and ruins the evening because everyone feels extremely uncomfortable.
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