Hippie family

That I know:

(Names Deleted)

My friend befriended the youngest daughter. She said that since she was born she lived in 4 different communes. The only thing that was troubling is that the father interoduced them to smoking pot when they reached the age of 10.
Home schooled, but Mother was very layed back with their teaching. I understand that hippies are all for a less stressful life but I call it bad parenting in some way.

~December~

 

Your point being....

ALL "hippies" are bad parents because of ONE situation? I don't get your point. There are good and bad in all segments.

 

For real. I know quite a few parents who are rich, preppy, snobs...and they are crappy parents. They spend no time with their children, so of course, they children are out of control. But, there are some that are wonderful parents! You can't say that all "hippies" are bad at parenting. I for one, think that my husband and I are wonderful parents. As are most of the parents I know on these forums.

 

No, I didn't sall ALL Hippies If this were a Rich family I would have stated that. I just wanted you to get a view of the enviorment they were brought up in. My point was how open should one parent be with there children without stepping over the line?

D

 

I think you should be totally open with talking to your children. I personally would not allow my 10 year old to smoke pot. I don't think it's good for growing bodies to smoke anything. If my 18 year old wants to smoke, that's up to them. But I wouldn't say "Don't do it." I would explain why they shouldn't do it. As far as living in four different communes. My daughter growing up lived in 5 or 6 different states. We never stayed more than a year in an apartment. We just plain moved a lot. Now I don't think that's the healthiest environment for children. But that's what I did then.

Kathi

 

Well that is the question all good parents ask themselves from the first day their children are born, until they themselves die. I don't think there is a simple answer to this. The "answer" to your question is Good Parenting distilled.

 

why is it your or anyone else's business how your neighbors parent their kids?

this is the kind of thing that drives me crazy. i had neighbors that accused me of being a bad parent because i was *cough cough* goth. won't his tiny little psyche be damaged by all the black velvet and halloween imagery? won't he be traumatized by mommy's purple hair? won't his little soul be put in jeopardy by exposure to tarot cards and wicca and unwholesome "occultism"?

look, i know you're pagan too, and i've faced ridicule and judgement for interests in both goth and hippie culture, and how that supposedly affects the "environment" my kids are brought up in, in the eyes of people who have no idea who i am or how my family functions. i am an unschooler, which i suppose might come across as "lax" to someone who doesn't know how my son learns. and my kids have names like "damien" and "shakti". and i still don't see your point. are you a perfect parent? everyone has some kind of harsh judgement for parenting or lifestyle that isn't "mainstream". my point is, when you live in a fishbowl yourself, you can't afford to go throwing stones at other people's glass houses.

peace.

 

First off I neve said anything about my family being accused of being bad parents because they were pagan.

I was stating about a family who introduced their kids to pot at an early age. Yes, If I had children it would concern me that my children's classmates may have had accsess to drugs.
Again this had nothing to do with one beliefs. Please stay on topic.

BtW I added the names because there was a topic on Hippy names so I added then insted of posing then on the longer name thread.

 

Maybe what is labeled as "good parenting" is not actually? Has anyone considered that? I know my parents would be viewed by society as the ideal parents b/c they have a daughter who graduated salutatorian of her class and another one who is going to. Their daughter attended Tulane. Their daughters have won numerous academic and community awards. Does this make them good parents? What if I told you that both have/had undiagnosed ADD for years? That both were severely depressed/suicidal for most of their lives? Then they don't look like great parents. What I'm trying to say is that there are some obvious cases of abuse/ neglect, but many, many more that are hidden. Until you know everything about that so-called "perfect" family, don't make assumptions, b/c often those are wrong.
The opposite is true as well. Just b/c someone doesn't agree w/ pot use doesn't make the parents bad. You can only ask someone to do what they think is right. I know when I have children I will teach them about drug use and the difference between use and abuse. Some people may disapprove of my methods, but that is what I believe (and studies have proven as well). I know I will treat my children like people, not like burdens. People should treat their children the way they would want to be treated.
Well, enough of my babbling about things I know not of. Live w/in your personal values and you will be a good parent.

Peace & Love
Kim

 

Sorry I do NOT agree! Letting your 10 year old smoke pot is bad parenting.

 

would you think it bad parenting to allow a 10-year-old to drink a caffenated beverage, like coffee or cola? or how about parents who smoke tobacco around their children? it's something that many disagree with, but does that make smokers "bad parents"? both caffeine and nicotine are far more toxic than marijuana. if an adult were to eat 6 tobacco cigarettes, they would suffer fatal nicotine poisoning. a few drops of nicotine extract on the tounge can kill. marijuna is illegal, but medically non-toxic, meaning it is non-lethal in any dose. caffeine is less toxic, but does have a toxic effect on the system. yet both of these are considered acceptable for parents to expose children to.

it is not my intent to begin a debate on the pseudo-science and politics of the drug war. my point is: what gives you the right to judge whether or not someone else is a bad parent? you disagree with their politics in relation to drug use. fine. don't let your own 10-year-old smoke pot then. it's not your right to pass judgement on other people's parenting, just because they're different from you?

why on earth did you post this? what kind of a reaction did you expect? did you post thinking everyone was going to think you're cool or witty for ragging oon the dirty lazy pot-smoking hippies and their weirdly-named kids? this is listed as a "hippie" site, and even though not everyone here considers themselves "hippie" or will agree on the politics of marijuana, certainly there are going to be those here who sympathize.

the point of my previous post had nothing to do with religious belief. paganism was mentioned as an example of a subculture that affects you, and that others pass judgement about. the point of my previous post was that a parent involved in any subculture will often have mainstreamers and people from other subcultures pointing fingers at them for "bad parenting" "unhealthy living habits" or any other accusation that they can think of. it is a fact of life about being "different". your sig makes it plain you're into the goth subculture. so was i, when my son was born, so i am quite familiar by how it is viewed by "mundanes". there are people who would accuse you of being a "dangerous" or "satanic" parent for that. would they be right in making such accusations? what gives you more right to judge than they?

 

Exactly! My parents are rich and preppy..though not snobs...and were not very good at parenting. Not that they didn't try.

 

Sorry I will no longer discuss this topic with someone who thinks letting a kid smoke pot is OK and NO I don't think caffeine is good for them either. But lets see what one would lead then to jail. COME on weak, weak defense.

First off sweetie I don't dress like a hot topic freak. that's NOT goth. Yeah I like classics like Poe. That makes me like Gothic! I don't have kids nor plan and having any. Do i have the right to think a parent drugging their children is bad. YES.
And do go off with "well would you give your kids antibiotic?" Sorry again you are weak. And sad. I feel sorry for your kids.

 

Actually Kitty this is the reaction I expected. Thank you. Again I posted the names for the sake of the other topic. MY own family have unique names As I stated!
But again you all have proven my point. You need to argue with lame defense because you KNOW damn well you are wrong and need to defend your dangerous lifestyle.

Latter loosers. All I collected will look fabulious on my new website! Freedon of speech is a beautiful thing isn't it!!!

 

You know what, i don't think any one has advocated letting a child smoke pot. No one is perfect. Even the best parents have flaws. Even the worst parents may have one or two good qualities. What one person think is horrible another may not. I don't let my children eat meat. Some people may think I am a horrible mother for that. Others praise it. It's all about judging others. You don't know these people. You only go by what you've heard. It's hard to tell what goes on behind closed doors. Moving around from place to place may not be the best thing for a child, but sometimes you do what you gotta do. And who's to say this girl is even telling the truth about her parents "introducing her to pot"? She may just be trying to look "cool."

You think we're all losers? Good riddance.

 

Worst that ever annoyed me was the guy that let his 8 year old daughter hold onto his drugs (more than pot) figuring that she would never get searched.

My ex thought it was cool shit...but then maybe that's one of the reasons he's my ex ;-)

If anyone I was with tried to introduce my kids to drugs at age 10 I would kick their ass all the way across the friggin country.

 

Oh dear Lord, there is no way that I would be encouraging my child to smoke pot. I mean, I have nothing against pot at all, but it's just not something you share with your kids for crying out loud! That's absolutely ridiculous. That's not bad parenting, that's HORRENDOUS.

I am currently homeschooling my almost 5 year old son for preschool, but come the next school year, we will more than likely sending him to public school, even though I am dreading it. Why send him if I'm dreading? It's a complicated issue of worrying if I'm doing the right thing and whether I'm "holding him back". I figure if he starts school and we don't like the way things are, we can always go back to homeschooling.

Homeschooling is awesome if parent(s) take it seriously and make it a priority to spend their time interacting and teaching their children, but you really need to be involved and make it your priority. If she's really lax about it, then her kids might not be reaching their full potential for the future.

But, without a doubt, the smoking pot thing with the kids is outrageous. I couldn't even imagine.

Peace.

 

I have read alot of these threads and one thing is clear. Some people read these things TOO FAST, take the time to read and re-read to be sure that when you "QUOTE" someone that it is not a misquote. But than you have where statements are taken out of context, so there you are. We as a people are constantly dealing with this issue. I feel that not matter, what a person does, sometimes the deck is stacked against us. Take being a "hippie", we are talking about ideals that weren't truely accepted in the 60's. The word hippie is derived from being HIP, with it, on the cutting edge, free. Some people find that mentality threatening, believe me, when I say that I know all about threatening people. My physical appearance has caused quite the contraversy in this town for many years. Now that I have childern, people instantly figure that they (my childern) will be the same. It will be their choice, to be whatever they want. But to smoke pot, grass, weed or J at an early age my or may not be a sign of bad parenting but possibly a bad choice. There are somethings that are best left to more years of maturity. I am not assuming that a 10 year old is not mature, however, we are the parents and somethings are best left to points later on in life. I would not allow that type of expereince with my childern, but I wouldn't let them go to a mall unsupervised in this world we now live in until they were much older, say 16 - 17 years old and then maybe!?!?

 

The only thing I see wrong with that situation is the pot smoking, but other than that it seems like a happy environment