WriterChanelle

The Stylistics – People Make The World Go Round

INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT

A dimly lit bedroom.

A CHILD is hugging her knees to her chest. Her head rests on her knees, turned toward her bedroom window. We see her cellphone lying on the bed displaying the last post she saw on Facebook, a status update written by her MOM. In her MOM’s voice we hear:

INT. CELLPHONE SCREEN – NIGHT

MOM (V.O.)

Children can be such jackasses. Never have one.

The irony of social media is that it not only allows parents an entrée into the lives of their children outside of the home but gives children the same access to the inner lives of their parents. Before social media we, the children, caught adults talking about us with their friends in dens, basements, kitchens, living rooms, porches, or backyards. It hurt but was contained to this circle, so it was easier to believe it was just your family that sympathized with the complainants. Hanging out with our friends afforded an escape from the parents who just didn’t understand. Where do you go, though, when the jokes go from private to public?

Today, associates and strangers who have been invited into the den are commenting on you and every one in your generation; and, you’re watching as their community grows, feeling powerless to defend against the barbs, wanting to prove their frustration unjustified. Some kids can shrug this off and move on without the need to refute their protestations, developing that tough skin older generations say kids today have lost. For others, it sets up a life-long personal narrative dedicated to approbation and methods of its receipt.

The need to vent about children can be traced back to the first child who put their hand near the fire when they were explicitly told not to, I’m sure. When adults are grown and can, therefore, say and do what they want, where is the line regarding in-group bonding over frustrations with child-rearing? Is there an acceptable way to joke? Is it even an issue that needs serious consideration? Is it entirely subjective and a decision that should be made within individual families?

The story above is fiction. What’s coming next, however, is not.

Stay tuned.