Parents. do some actual parenting

Sorry it has been so long since I posted a blog. Issues have come up that made my updates sparse.

What has caused me to come out and post? Well this news thread:

http://www.wesh.com/cnn-news/20366679/detail.html

For those who do not want to cut and paste here is the story:

DELTONA, Fla. -- A Deltona teenager was hospitalized on Wednesday after suffering multiple burns while imitating a video posted on YouTube.

Gortzig" border="0" width="240" height="180"> Russell Gortzig

Russell Gortzig, 13, said his friend siphoned gasoline from a riding lawnmower and poured it on Gortzig. The teen said he held the lighter away from him, but a combination of the spark and fumes caught his shorts on fire."Skin missing all the way down to his ankle on the front and the back," mother Linda McCrea said.McCrea said the boys were trying to copy a stunt they saw on the video sharing Web site, YouTube, where a man in a banana suit lights himself on fire. She warned other parents to closely monitor the online activities of their children and wants YouTube to tighten its user guidelines. She believes YouTube is partially to blame for her son' pain.

More Images | Survey: YouTube To Blame?

A representative for YouTube said the Web site takes in 20 hours of video every minute and said, while it's impossible to screen postings in advance, users can flag potentially dangerous video.It is reviewed and age restrictions are often added.Gortzig is in stable condition at Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital.

End story

Now here are the issues I have. I put in bold red letters the main problem I have with this news story. Now here is the link to the video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RjWN_POc9s (depending on if they pull it or not) Now from the video you can see how bad it was, and how catastrophic it could have been. Now the mother wants to blame youtube? How about you own up to the fact that you were not paying attention to your son, or what he views on youtube. I mean look at the picture, the kid knew he done something stupid.

I really am starting to hate that parents are now expecting other people to do the job the parents are suppose to do. You know like parent their children. It is as if this woman never taught her son that taking a lighter to gas could cause and explosion. Most of the parents that actually take care to watch their children and teach them basic principals.

Now I would bet the next course of action will be an attempt to sue youtube. I only hope if that is the case that youtube then counters with child and family services. Obviously there is a problem if one video that is a minute long, and for the most part should be an eye opener for any kid watching it, to have such an impact to have these two kids to light themselves on fire. I mean even the end of the video the guy says fire is bad. Did I also mention that video has been on youtube for over 2 years now?

Point blank Linda McCrea, don't blame your poor parenting on a website. Especially since that website did not instruct your son to do something so remarkably stupid. I think if this has gone worse your son would have won a Darwin Award.

Till next time,

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