As someone who has no kids and is unlikely to have them in the near future (but I do plan to eventually; don’t you worry about that) I was interested to see if you could relate to Marx’s comments. Apparently not.

I can imagine that when I do have kids I will indeed have a strong protective instinct, what with memories of my own childhood lurking just behind, reminding me of everything that can and does go wrong. No doubt I will resort to “friend filtering” and more besides!

But I’m not convinced that day care centres etcetera constitute abandonment any more than primary schools do. I’m not a big fan of schools though …

I despise people who decide that they want to have children, and then don’t take the great responsibility to raise them themselves. Children are not pets.

For people like Mr. & Mrs. Marx, to abandon their own children to be raised by others, whether in a “Nursery,” a “Day Care Center” or “Preschool,” and then to complain about it, is hypocrisy of the worst kind. They don’t deserve to be called parents, and should be called for what they are: obnoxious selfish breeders. God help their children…

1. Will someone else’s kid die because of my kid’s actions (directly or indirectly)? Yes - better stop my kid; No - knock yourself out, dude!

2. It is entirely the role of the parent to filter your kids friends. Initially it seems pretty simple (there is no way in hell I am letting that kid near my kid), as they grow I’d imagine it moves to influence and background manouvering.

I do not agree with parents who exercise their kid’s rights to do whatever, as 90% of the time the right they are fighting ISN’T RIGHT! (if that makes sense). It just bastardry for the sake of it (there, I said it). Go an push your kid out of a tree, savlon and band-aid the scrape, and put them back in the damn tree…

…and don’t forget the peanut butter…

Not fully sure what the guy’s getting at. I hear him about the parents arguing over “to pack or not to pack” (peanut butter sandwhiches) - I remember when this first affected us, there was the initial 3-second reaction of “What? My kid can’t eat peanut butter at this camp?? How absurd!”, followed quickly by the realisation “Oh if he does, another kid might die. Ok, I’ll make him Vegemite and cheese instead; no big deal.” I think any parent who puts convenience over another kid’s wellbeing (any kid) is a @#$%*!!in’ #$%{+&@!! and should be kicked repeatedly in the @$#%^&@()!!s…

Having said (or cussed) that, I’m also very judgemental about other kids and choose very carefully who mine play with. This I think is duty of care, but I suspect I err in favour of playing God a little too much sometimes and should lighten up. And let’s face it, all Dads when witnessing their little one get kit over the head in the sandpit rush to their aid and want to beat up the other kid … but when their own kid is the perpetrator, it’s like “Hey he’s a kid everyone, what are you going to do?”