When Silence Means Chaos

First and foremost, thank you to all the new subscribers. My subscriber count has gone 7X from last week. Thank you to those involved in promoting this and to those who took a chance on giving me your attention going forward. If you haven’t already, please check out the older posts and make sure this still is worth your attention. You may very well tell me to go fuck myself. You may not. But one thing will be true no matter what. This will always be raw. I won’t be vulgar for the sake of being vulgar, and I also give my honest opinion, garnished with “motherfucker” and any and all assorted profanity as I see it fit.

Now onto the goods.

In Mexico every April 30, there’s a holiday just for and about kids. From what I remember, it’s like another birthday or Christmas or any other holiday where kids get stuff. Where kids get presents as a byproduct of the meaning behind those other holidays, this holiday is 100% for kids, of kids, and about kids. The recognition of kids, the celebration of kids, and the reverence of kids. Other countries have their own version of it on different dates, and if it’s celebrated in the US, it’s because of the traditions from the “old country.”

And I think that that is complete bullshit. Not because I got ripped off from another chance at more toys as a kid, but if you look at the bigger picture, kids need to be told every now and again that they fucking matter.

In the US, up to 26% of kids get bullied in school. Chances are, those kids wind up bullying other kids because of the lack of self esteem instilled by their environment, causing a chain of bullying that takes on a life of its own. A holiday like this would definitely have a positive impact on kids overall. In Mexico, it was started by Mexico’s endorsement of the League of Nations in 1925 as a way to honor children’s well being, their rights, and the joy they bring their families.

That’s not to say that bullying doesn’t exist in Mexico. But it gives kids something to look forward to and makes them feel like they matter. Ask any adult who was a child in Mexico.

Of course, it’s no secret that if this became virally popular, there would be dissent, with people saying “we didn’t have this shit when we were kids!” “Kids are soft nowadays, they don’t need this!”

What the fuck could it hurt? Why the fuck not?

Those of you with kids know how much they change your life. I have one, and I know life is going to be hard for my son as he gets older because the world is cruel (a man with an outhouse for a voice wants to put him on a registry). I will move mountains to make sure my son has what he needs but I can only do so much. Every bit of kindness he receives from anyone, I’m all for. And anyone who will ever have cruel intentions for him can go fuck themselves. So why the fuck not have a holiday based on kindness for kids?

Who the fuck would that hurt? It might hurt the crowd that is against lower income kids getting free lunches at school or the “let’s deport children who are American citizens who are getting cancer treatment” crowd, but fuck that crowd. They deserve a kick in the shin with a steel toed boot at bare minimum.

I know it’s not much, but maybe it moves the needle towards a fraction of a kinder, gentler society.

My son has taught me restraint. Unselfishness. Courage. How much I am flawed. How much I’ve improved. Work ethic. How to fight for what’s right. All things being equal, I don’t think I’ve taught him anything at all compared to what he’s taught me. He definitely deserves to live in a society where kids are respected, but if this ever catches on, he will probably have outgrown this holiday.

Those of you who want to have kids but can’t, or those of you who don’t want kids, or those of you who chose not to and that’s how the ship sailed, I get it. This post is probably nails in a chalkboard to you, if not a flat out insult. I just ask you that for the greater good of American society, you consider what kind of impact this could have. Ask ChatGPT what kind of positive things could be in store - economically, socially, and everything in between. Maybe it would result in a kinder, gentler society, even if the needle moves by .0000000000001%.

So what the fuck does this have to do with gratitude? Well, there’s no way to quantify it, and Mexico really doesn’t show a good example of its implementation as a whole. But it’s goddamned kindness. It’s another excuse for people to be kind 1/365th of the fucking year. A lot of people could use another exposure to the words “be kind.” Not that it would stick or anything. God forbid it did stick, and those kids grow up to be less assholish adults. I mean, for crying out loud, kids are not the the ones who get road rage and cut you off while you’re driving or trying to fight you when you tell them they didn’t return their shopping cart. What kids have to go through in war zones or as refugees will always be a stain on humanity. By giving them a holiday, it’s the least we could do.

As a parent, you know that when your toddler is quiet and out of sight, they’re either up to no good or something is wrong, causing your heart to skip a beat when it dawns on you that their silence just turned into your chaos. The way they get things wrong as toddlers and how you notice over time that they slowly say things correctly and you realize that you actually prefer them saying things wrong because they didn’t know better. The way they get excited over the simplest things you show them, and when you miss it when you notice that don’t give a shit about it anymore - that’s motherfucking gratitude all day long. To be honest, if I think about my son long enough, my eyes will well up, guaranteed.

I’m always grateful when someone is nice to my kid. Let’s all be nice to other people’s kids. To everyone’s kids. Because we were all kids once. I’m grateful that you made it this far, chances are that if you met my kid, you’d most likely be nice to him.

And kindly go fuck yourself if you disagree about giving them their own holiday.