|
I should have written this article last night. I found my subject yesterday, did all of my reading, and planned on writing at my mother-in-laws in the evening as my youngest (eight months old) decided that he wanted mommy all day. It’s hard to type when you have a baby in your arms. Fortunately it is still possible to read. I should have written this last night. I picked up my oldest from day care (two years and ten months), went to my mother-in-laws, got on the computer, and started to get things organized to work. Then my oldest comes to me and starts to cry. He's soaked and he says "Mommy, poo poo," then plop on the floor. My son wears diapers. There shouldn't have been a plop. I pulled down his shorts and sure enough – no diaper. The day care took off his diaper and neglected to put a new one on him. It wasn't that they were trying to potty-train him (because I asked when I called). I was so angry that they neglected my son there went all of my concentration to write. As it is now it's a struggle. This was the second mistake this day care has made in two weeks. Last week they asked him if I was picking him up at 1:30p or 4:30p. Yup, these people asked my not even three year old son and didn't think to call and ask me. Instead they called me at 2p and asked me where I was. I informed them that I was working. They said my son told them I was coming to get him, so they didn't put him down for a nap with the other kids. Instead they left him downstairs to wait for me. When you trust someone with your child there is no room for mistakes. I was planning on writing more about the arrest of Peter Dicks and how it's affected internet gambling stocks. However, I'm not going to write about that now. Instead I'm going to write about parenting, parenting and gambling. Sportingbet and internet gambling stocks will have to wait for later today. Parents are fragile creatures. We can be the most professional level headed even tempered logical people on the planet at work but when it comes to the well being of our children we immediately into the raging tiger wanting to protect her cubs. Fangs are bared and claws are drawn to anyone or anything that might cause our child harm. It's emotional, instinctual. We want more for our children than we have had for ourselves. We get them extra tutoring and special lessons so that they can optimize every part of their brilliant minds. Or maybe that's just me. I'm actually looking into Italian lessons for my oldest. My point being, we want the best for our kids and we get angry and upset when we feel we can't control a situation or trust something. This is why parents are irrational when it comes to internet gambling. Just because we know what is best for our child doesn't mean that they know what is best for them. Furthermore, even if they do know it doesn't mean they will act on it. We know kids are better on computers than we are. We know there's no real way for us to keep them from doing anything online – they'll find a way around it if they want to. What we don't want is our children under the age of 18 (and I'm sure some parents would like to control their kids after 18 as well) to play casino games online. Even the play for fun games should be off-limits to underage players. It's not the worry of gambling, necessarily, but the possibility of the idea that gambling is acceptable that worries us. We see the play for fun as the foot in the door, the domino drug that opens up a whole new arena. It doesn't have to be true or logical for it to affect us. These are our children, and there will be no logic mixing with our emotions there. The distrust some people have of the internet casino industry comes out of fear. Fear that our child will log online to some casino, sportsbook, or poker site, will become horribly addicted and will do something dreadfully stupid due to their addiction. We read about other kids who have gone down the wrong path and we fear for the well-being of our own child. Never mind the logic and truth that the internet casino, sports book or poker room doesn't want our child playing there either. Never mind that they require full age information to log into the play for fun. Never mind that they have special security in their play for real to help deter underage players. As most credit card companies ban direct deposits into online gambling establishments almost every deposit is now made by third party provider who needs to confirm the bank account. This alone makes it nearly impossible for children to deposit. Even still, the logic doesn't matter. We know that it's not impossible, and as such we want it stopped at the detriment of the business and those responsible adults who enjoy gambling in the comfort of their own home. I can understand the feelings, even though I work in this industry. I'm a parent. I love my child and I want them to be protected. The answer is to work with the internet casinos. The internet gambling industry doesn't want children or anyone under the legal age limit to play online. If the US government were to regulate the industry, and I mean tightly regulate it, they could guarantee that regulation. The licensed online casino, sports book, and poker room would comply gladly. The casino could require the players drivers license number and be required to give the list to the state gambling board where they will check if the player is of legal age or not. Theoretically they could go as far as requiring an initial check in station where adults could register for the ability to play online and thus guarantee that children wouldn't be able to steal information from their parents to play on their own. It's like the kids hanging out in front of the liquor store asking anyone entering of legal age to buy them beer. You can't blame the alcohol for the alcoholic and you can't blame the online casino for the gambling addict. You can't control everything in your child's life no matter how much you may want to. Well, you can't when they are 16, but you can when they are still two, which is why I have to go now and check out a new day care. Posted on: September 12, 2006
Back to September 2006's archive |
||||||||||||
|
|
Del.icio.us
Digg
Google
Spurl
Furl
Simpy
Y! MyWeb
