Dear Parents, Stop Ruining Your Children

I'm a permanent substitute at the elementary and middle school here on base.  I'd say 85% of the kids in the school are Navy brats.  (Don't worry, parents of Navy brats, I will have my own Navy brats one day, and I will call them that, too.)  Most of these kids are great.  In fact, I would say that most of them are exceptionally well behaved and well mannered.  There are always a few rotten eggs though...

I've been in 8th grade classes for the past 3 days.  There is this one girl, I'm going to call her Kelly simply because I don't know any young Kelly's anymore.  If she was from my generation, though, she'd be a Kelly.  This little girl is tall for her age, thin, bleach blonde and obviously spoiled rotten.  In my first class, she came in without paper or her text book.  "Oh, I totally forgot that I have history today.. My bad"  Really?!  It's only the second day of school for this semester!!  How did you forget??  So this was my first impression of Kelly.  I let the class break off into groups for their work, and this girl winds up with another girl and a boy.  She didn't contribute to the work the entire class, and just let the other two do it for her.  Even more interesting is that the other two students seemed HAPPY to do this girls work!  She just sat there telling the other two how amazing her Christmas break was, how drunk she got at her parents' Christmas party, and all in all, how awesome she was, all while constantly updating her makeup with her Lancome compact.  She can't be older than 14!!

After a while, I confronted her and accused her of not working, and distracting the rest of the class.  The look she gave me was ridiculous.  Like she could not believe that I would accuse her of such.  "I don't have a book!", she whined.  As if it was my fault that she "couldn't" do her work.  Give me a break!  She eventually shut her mouth and started working, and I went home annoyed.

The next morning, I had another 8th grade class.  I got there early to speak with the teacher who was leaving, and she began warning me about a girl named Kelly first thing.  For some reason, I didn't put 2 and 2 together, and I just kept listening.  "She never comes to class prepared, and she always steals pencils from my desk without asking," the teacher said.  "She never does her work for this class, and she always tries to do her homework for other classes while sitting right here in front of me.  Oh, and be sure you check her uniform.  She is never dressed like she should be.. always trying to push the envelope.  Be SURE to check her skirt length!"  I asked if it was just one of those situations where the kid was spoiled rotten and her parents handed her everything, and the teacher said, "Yep!  You know those kids, too??"  She went on to say that Kelly would try to move to a seat behind one of the boys in the class so that she could rub his back during class.. Oh!  And that when the teacher fusses at Kelly she just cries "You just don't like me!" and runs and tells her parents that the teacher hates her, and the parents turn around and call the school to accuse the teacher of playing favorites.  :Sigh:  Poor Kelly.. Don't you know where this behavior is going to get you later in life?  And to Kelly's parents:   You are ruining your child!!

I knew these girls in school.  I can't really remember any from my high school, but there were PLENTY of spoiled little rich girls in college.  I did go to Ole Miss, remember?  These girls don't go anywhere in life.  Their parents give them everything, and they don't have to work for anything else.  And check it out, parents.. Odds are, your little girl isn't as pretty or as charming as you think she is.  Wake up!

Rant over.. Off to the gym and to get ready for Avery's baby shower.  I'm glad I got to meet Avery a few months ago, and I wish we had more time to get to know each other before she leaves this month.  I love baby showers!