27 FEBRUARY 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The “Idiots” Corner by “Billy Bob Smith” I have three simple attitudes when it comes to kids and parents. “There is no such thing as bad kids, just idiot parents; the more you help people, the less you help them; and you get more of the behavior you reward.” I’m not implying these are the only three necessary attitudes when it comes to parenting, and I’m sure there are many positives, but this article is just focused on these three. Let me explain, as I am sure most of the people reading this have kids regardless of their or their kids’ ages. If a kid is running around a restaurant screaming and/or crying and yelling, is this because of them and their behavior - or their parents who let them behave this way? If a kid throws themselves on the floor of Target crying and ranting crazy because you won’t buy the toy they want - who is the cause? And believe me, if you let this and similar behaviors continue, don’t be surprised if it gets worse when they grow up and become teens. If you let a 25-year-old who has a job, stay in the bedroom they grew up in, and don’t charge them any form of rent (money or responsibilities), their poor behaviors and reactions will only continue as their life proceeds. I recall my son asking me when he graduated from high school, “Dad, are you going to pay for my college?” I responded, “No, no one paid for mine, and I’m not paying for yours - figure it out.” He graduated from Virginia Tech five years later and is now a millionaire. How about a few quotes? Okay, a few examples of some behaviors: • Last week, I was having lunch in a restaurant and observed a father having lunch with his two teenage kids. The entire time he was on the phone and the kids were on their cells. And the point of lunch was . . . ? • When my daughter was a child and we all went out to dinner, she would keep banging her silverware on the top of her kid’s seat. After multiple commands, it never stopped. One night I lifted her out of her kids’ chair, took her outside, and said, “If you don’t stop this behavior, I will bring you outside and spank you, and we won’t go back into the restaurant until you stop crying.” She responded, “Okay Daddy, I won’t do it anymore.” From then on, whenever she misbehaved, I just asked her, “Little one, do you want to step outside?” She is now a grown adult, and I asked her on her recent birthday, what were some of the things she remembered as a child? Her answer: “Little one, do you want to step outside?” • It’s not about the behavior that matters, it’s about the response to it. • Last year, I was having lunch when a group of several teenagers were having lunch with two adults, and they were screaming the entire time. The person sitting in front of me asked the manager to keep them quiet. He said he was not allowed to take that kind of action. So the woman stood up and screamed across the restaurant floor, “Ladies, shut those kids up or get them out of here.” The response from the two ladies was, “We are leaving,” and every person eating in the restaurant stood up and clapped. • I hate people, especially teenagers who tailgate me so I can’t even see their bumpers when we are going over 50 miles per hour. Last month, I put a sign in my back window that says: “The closer you get the slower I will go.” Guess what? I have not been tailgated by one driver since. Okay, it’s your turn. What is one thing your kids have taught you, so you can become a better parent? Billy Bob Contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com “Raising kids is part joy and part guerrilla warfare.” ~Ed Asner “Having children is like living in a frat house - nobody sleeps, everything’s broken, and there’s a lot of throwing up.” ~Ray Romano “Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” ~Phyllis Diller March 4-6, 2025 ~ Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the Underground Infrastructure Conference (UIC) is returning to the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. Your time is valuable, so UIC designed most of the education programs to be fast-paced, 30-minute or one-hour classes, and also offers 90-minute comprehensive training sessions. Learn more on asset management, energy issues, sewer/water, along with horizontal directional drilling operations. The interactive exhibit hall will be packed with displays of products for trenchless construction and rehabilitation professionals. Register online at www.ui-conference.com March 14-15, 2025 ~ The New England Water Well Association Expo will again be held at the Best Western Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Educational workshops in the hotel are from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, then the trade show is open in the exhibit hall from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The exhibits are open Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and more learning opportunities are scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Visit www.newwassociation.org See more events at www.worldwidedrillingresource.com online issue. Are you planning to go? WorldWide will be looking for you! Join WWDR
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