Baby dies while parents play World of Warcraft

[Uncle_Joe]

The thing I find disturbing is that in the US, you have to have a license to drive a car. In many cases, that means having to pass a course on the rules of the road and complete a written test. This is in addition to a 'behind the wheel' test. All of this is to drive a car.

What do you have to do to have a child? Nothing...nada...zip. If you want one, go for it. You dont have to display any competence to care for one and you dont really even have to display any means to afford one. All you have to do is want to have one.

To me, that is just crazy. Sure we have all kinds of laws and agencies that can go after negligent parents, but that all occurs AFTER the negligence. In cases like this (and many others), its too late.

I'm not sure what the solution would be, but I know I'd certainly like to see potential parents have to display SOME form of basic parenting skills...

[Leslie]

To extend Joe's thoughts.

When I got married, I had to endure several sessions on marriage. Likely had something to do with wanting a church ceremony I suppose.

The lessons were moronic plain and simple. But they were also not negotiable. They were not about being a useful spouse, they were all mumbo jumbo religious dogma. Still, they insisted I went to them, and answered all manner of carefully slanted questions.

Years later, and not one iota of that course aided in me in the slightest.

I am a parent, and I am a parent of a son, who yesterday was 11 actually.
I was never given any teaching by anyone, parents included, in the joys and pitfalls of being married. And by logical extension, of becoming a parent (largely unavoidable if you sleep with a woman long enough eh).

This seems to be a weird shortfall of society here specifically. I am sure their has to be at least SOME cultures or societies that make SOME effort to ensure their members have at least a clue about what's involved in parenthood.

But I can't think of any at the moment.

And how many children occur, simply because no one took the effort to teach people how NOT to become a parent eh.
I could go to some rather extreme comment lengths is that area, but won't.
But lets just say, avoiding parenthood requires more teachings, than birthcontrol pills for girls, and how to fit a condom for boys.

Our featured incompetent Korean parents of this thread, can't possibly be considered anything but incredibly stupid, where matters of child care and proper parenting our concerned.
I wonder what THEIR parents think of what happened?

If my son had let that event happen, and under similar conditions, well the scathing lecture would leave marks he would not be able to easily hide.

But, then again, I don't expect my son to ever be capable of behaving so grotesquely irresponsibly either.

As a parent, I actually give a damn.

Becoming a parent is easy. Being one takes work.