This letter to ‘Dear Abby’ appeared in the Saturday, October 27, 2007 Virginian Pilot:
Dear Abby:
My son recently started at a new school, and we are getting calls for play dates. So far, I have responded by offering to host, but eventually I will have to decide about letting my son go to a home I am not familiar with. I feel strongly that he should not go to a home where there are guns. How do I ask the question without passing judgment?
Signed: Atlanta Mom
Abby responded:
Dear Atlanta Mom:
Say: “He’d love to come. But before I agree, I have a few questions: Who will be supervising the children? Are there guns in the house? Do you plan on taking the children anywhere?” They are all legitimate questions. As a parent you have a right to know.
Signed: Abby
Now that just offended me mightily. After careful thought, and about an hour editing out ‘blissninny’, ‘idiot’, ‘airhead’, ‘twit’ (I might have misspelled that one), ‘carpetbagger, and ‘socialist cow’, I submitted the following:
Dear Abby:
Atlanta Mom is smart to ask about guns at the home where her kids have a play date, since the majority of US households do have at least 1 firearm. If there are no guns in that home, is it because of felonies, insanity, domestic violence, restraining orders, alcoholism, drug use, or what??? I would certainly worry about that!
Shouldn’t she also ask about the sexual history of the parents – can they prove they have been in a monogamous relationship for decades and aren’t HIV carriers? What about their driving records, any tickets or accidents in the last 5 years?? After all, cars kill an awful lot of kids. Do all their pets have current rabies shots, and what size, number, and breed are they? What about knives, power tools, and sex offenders in the neighborhood?
Yes, there sure is a lot to worry about.
Signed: Mr. Grammaw
Not a perfect response, but certainly heartfelt. Perhaps a few dozen of you would care to add you 2 cents by sending a reply to:
http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/dearabby_form.html
__________________
Dear Abby:
My son recently started at a new school, and we are getting calls for play dates. So far, I have responded by offering to host, but eventually I will have to decide about letting my son go to a home I am not familiar with. I feel strongly that he should not go to a home where there are guns. How do I ask the question without passing judgment?
Signed: Atlanta Mom
Abby responded:
Dear Atlanta Mom:
Say: “He’d love to come. But before I agree, I have a few questions: Who will be supervising the children? Are there guns in the house? Do you plan on taking the children anywhere?” They are all legitimate questions. As a parent you have a right to know.
Signed: Abby
Now that just offended me mightily. After careful thought, and about an hour editing out ‘blissninny’, ‘idiot’, ‘airhead’, ‘twit’ (I might have misspelled that one), ‘carpetbagger, and ‘socialist cow’, I submitted the following:
Dear Abby:
Atlanta Mom is smart to ask about guns at the home where her kids have a play date, since the majority of US households do have at least 1 firearm. If there are no guns in that home, is it because of felonies, insanity, domestic violence, restraining orders, alcoholism, drug use, or what??? I would certainly worry about that!
Shouldn’t she also ask about the sexual history of the parents – can they prove they have been in a monogamous relationship for decades and aren’t HIV carriers? What about their driving records, any tickets or accidents in the last 5 years?? After all, cars kill an awful lot of kids. Do all their pets have current rabies shots, and what size, number, and breed are they? What about knives, power tools, and sex offenders in the neighborhood?
Yes, there sure is a lot to worry about.
Signed: Mr. Grammaw
Not a perfect response, but certainly heartfelt. Perhaps a few dozen of you would care to add you 2 cents by sending a reply to:
http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/dearabby_form.html
__________________
