You know, some people in this world never f***ing cease to amaze me. And it won’t be long before I lose faith in humanity altogether. This past weekend I bore witness to what can only be classed as yet another example of criminal parenting. It becomes another in a long list of bewildering acts of mal-guidance that I have personally witnessed over the past months. And it leads me to only one conclusion. Something more needs to be done to protect children and stamp out ignorant parenting.

Let’s get to the incident itself. I took my kids to Comic Con 2017 on Saturday. It was a pretty awesome occasion. The venue was full to the brim and lively with activity. A really nice experience. At one point it was time for us all to get something to drink. Whilst in the queue at the bar I saw with my very own eyes a mother tap open a can of Red Bull and give it to her child who was no older than ten years old. I found myself immediately in a state of shock.

I felt a burning desire to head over to this “so called” parent and give her a slap in the back of her head. Like you would a small child who is doing something extremely stupid. I just couldn’t believe it. Some of you may think I am blowing this way out of proportion. But am I really? Knowing what we know about energy drinks do we really think it is something that should be ingested by a small child?

Now, I want to make one thing crystal clear here. In no way is this some sort of tirade against Red Bull or Energy drinks in general. Even though there is no chance you would ever get me drinking one of those things, I completely respect any adults freedom to drink, eat or ingest anything they would like. Your body, your choice. However, I do take exception when a child who may not know better is exposed. And I also take exception when the parent, charged with the child’s care, fails so monumentally.

Just for the record, whilst energy drinks were once all the rage, we know a lot more about them these days. It is now commonly known that the high levels of caffeine and sugar can be extremely dangerous in the body and have even been shown to stop the heart. The acidity of energy drinks can also be harmful to bone, muscle, and brain health. And to top it all off, energy drinks are also extremely addictive, causing you to depend on them to feel sufficiently energised. Let’s be honest, they are simply not good for you. 

Allowing a ten year old child to drink one of these energy drink is grossly negligent and ignorant parenting. It’s fundamentally the same as allowing their child to drink alcohol or smoke a cigarette. It quite simply should never be allowed. I take my job as a parent very seriously. I don’t consider myself just a guy who “shot a load” into the child’s mother. Nor do I think my responsibility stops at putting clothes on their back and food on the table. It is so much more than that.

I feel that “parenting” is about being a guide for your children. Trying to help them lay the necessary foundations to be able make sensible choices later on in life. And it starts with teaching them what sensible choices are. Not just giving them whatever they want so they don’t bother you any more. That is just selfish.

I really wish there was a solution to this problem. But unfortunately there isn’t. If it were up to me, I would have anyone who acts so negligently towards children, stripped of all parenting rights for eternity. If only I ruled over this Earth. Realistically however, the solution lies with each individual parent taking the time and making the effort to educate properly. I think it will also take courage. Courage in the sense that should someone you know be parenting in such a way, you would have the courage to tell them bluntly of their shortcomings. No matter how interfering it may seem or how it may affect your relationship with them. It is for the benefit of the child after all.