Strollerderby : Babble ethics

Babble Ethics: Confronting Racists with Kids

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:31:00 GMT

So let's say you're out antiquing with your child and you wander down an aisle only the hear a man yapping on a cell phone. You're already kind of annoyed by the guy because he's talking with the volume of a jackhammer in a library.

But it gets worse.

"Dude," he says into the phone, as you shuffle by with your child in your arms, "You've got to hire me a couple mexicans to help move this thing. Uh huh. Uh huh. Everyone needs a good beaner now and then."

Excuse me?

What hillbilly century do you live in, moron? This is acceptable talk to you in public places?

It's one thing to think you'll always stand up for what's right, especially in front of your kids, but it's another thing altogether to feel their weight in your arms and worry about their safety if you do something like confront a total stranger who clearly lacks a brain. And yet, saying nothing gives the impression that this kind of imbecility is A-OK for public discourse.

So here's my question: Do you say anything to him? And if so, what?

Babble Ethics: Let Your Kids Get Hurt

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:28:00 GMT

I'm trying to make this a little less self-promotional than it will probably sound, sorry, but I've received a ridiculous number of heated emails from ~~crazy~~ concerned people about a series of pictures I took showing my 2-year-old daughter in the midst of a fall. It seemed like the perfect topic for another round of Babble Ethics, even if I come off like an unfeeling moron, which never, ever happens.

"Why didn't you stop taking photos and help her?!" screamed one person.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" barked another.

And I keep thinking, jeez, it was an 8-inch fall off a curb. Granted, the curb was a little high, but I knew she'd learn something from a little tumble. Not all curbs are the same. She has to watch her step. She has to be careful on her own. Her father is more interested in taking her picture than reaching out to her.

Seriously, just how protective is too protective? Should I have sprayed her in protective foam? Put out a few pillows?

This little scene began with me stepping away from her in a deserted alley to take a photo. She groped the wall for a few minutes and then decided she wanted to jump off the curb. She studied it, gauged it, prepared to jump. And I let her, knowing full well it was a higher curb than she usually encounters, and a goodly portion of me knew she may well take a tumble.

She did.

But then of course she got up, kicked the street with her toe, mumbled something about "mother fucking shoddy masonry work!" (or something like that) and climbed back up the curb to do it again.

Still, I'm left wondering: I can't be the only person who lets their kid try things out on her own, right? Or maybe I'm just the only moron taking pictures of it. I don't know. I do appreciate the concern but it also frightens me a little to think of what happens to kids who aren't allowed to make mistakes on their own. Or maybe I'm just being defensive. Sometimes I hate you, ethics.

Babble Ethics: Kidnapping for the Better

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:02:00 GMT

My wife and I were watching a movie Saturday night, and without giving away the plot for those who haven't seen it yet, I'll say that in the end, "Gone Baby Gone" comes down to making a horrific decision. So in this edition of Babble Ethics, I'll take the critical decision in question and ask:

If you knew someone had kidnapped a child but would give her a much, much better life than the child's horribly neglectful, drug-abusing mom, would you call the cops and return the kid to her rightful mother? Or just stay quiet and let the kid have a chance at a better life with the family that kidnapped her?