To all the parents on this board...

Russell

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Jul 15, 2001
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The starry attic
www.russellgarwood.co.uk
Your child may be a goth if he or she:
-Wears black clothing.
-Has piercings or tattoos.
-Wears a pentagram or an ankh (an ancient Egyptian symbol used in Satanic Ba’al-worshipping rituals).
-Wears rock T-shirts.
-Listens to GOTH bands such as Marilyn Manson, or to other antisocial music.
-"Hangs out" with new friends.
-Demands an unusual amount of privacy.
-Shows diminished interest in wholesome activities such as church, prayer, and sports.
-Takes drugs.
-Kills people for fun.
-Stays up late at night and/or drinks blood.
-Watches cable.
-Complains of headaches, boredom, nausea, stabbing pains or thirst.
-Is secretive.
-Spends large amounts of time alone.
-Spends large amounts of time with people you don’t know.
-Misbehaves in school.
-"Forgets" to do chores, possibly because of drug or alcohol abuse.
-Hears music when the only sound is noise, possibly because of drug or alcohol abuse.
-Uses a computer or the Internet.
-Plays video games or role-playing games.
-Reads science fiction or fantasy books.
-Writes angry entries in a secret diary (you can usually find the diary easily if you search your child’s room).
-Has paranoid fantasies (many GOTHS accuse their parents of spying on them).
-Pursues dangerous cult religions such as WICCA, SATANISM, HINDUISM and BUDDHISM.
-Insists on spending time with friends while unaccompanied by an adult.
-Uses the blood of Christian babies to inscribe pentagrams or other symbols on churches and schools.
-Sleeps too much or too little.
-Eats too much or too little.
-Looks at pornography or otherwise shows interest in sex.
-Is a homosexual, bisexual, or "pansexual."
-Smokes clove cigarettes.
-Leaves syringes or other drug paraphernalia around the house.
-Eats GOTH-related foods such as Count Chocula breakfast cereal.
-Mocks authority figures such as teachers, guidance counselors or Jesus.
-Says, "I am a GOTH."
-Wears a pin that says, "I am a GOTH."
-Talks about going to GOTH clubs or parties.
-Asks for locks of hair from casual acquaintances.
-Owns more than one cast-iron cauldron.
-Dances to music.
-Behaves in any unusual or alarming way. :D
 
Well - I guess I'm a parent in the minority - because I don't "assume" anything. I've always felt this "looks and sounds like" crap is just that - it can mean almost anything.

From that laundry list, you could be goth, but you could also be:
a raving lunatic
mentally ill
one who follows the crowd
one who wants to "express" themselves
one who knows how to dress
one who doesn't know how to dress
a murderer
a satanist
clueless
a kid

There - this is a short list from a parents perspective - and, with an 18 and 16-year old, I do have some experience in these matters
 
Originally posted by metalmancpa
Well - I guess I'm a parent in the minority - because I don't "assume" anything. I've always felt this "looks and sounds like" crap is just that - it can mean almost anything

Heh, its ok, I don't think you're supposed tyo take it seriously as the authors were
Parents
American
Religous
Organizations
Defending
Youth
I mean read it, of cousre it's taking the piss (tho you'd be surprised how close some of the American Christian Parents Association's lists get)
Out of interest, what do your children think of Opeth? I couldn't imagine my dad listening to music like this :)
 
Originally posted by godisanathiest



Out of interest, what do your children think of Opeth? I couldn't imagine my dad listening to music like this :)

That would be cool to have a father like this. Just think, those who aren't already fathers will be such one day to their children. I fully intend to give my children piano and guitar lessons tempered by a steady diet of Opeth.

Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if metalmancpa's children were hardcore rap heads and limp bizkit fans. :tickled:
 
Originally posted by E V I L


Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if metalmancpa's children were hardcore rap heads and limp bizkit fans. :tickled:

My 16 year-old daughter likes some of the heavier stuff, but is pretty balanced throughout musical genres (damn, I hate that word).
My 18 year-old son isn't really into music that much.
My wife has a balanced musical taste also, but doesn't like death/growling - although she is forced to listen to Opeth while in my car - and it's slowly growing on her.

I'm a 41 year old professional who seems to other professionals to be totallly out-of-bounds.
My kids really do think it's "cool" that I'm not this stereotypical father type:
1. yeah, I drive a Town Car - but its stereo plays Opeth, Nevermore, etc.
2. I watch wrestling
3. I spit on Limp Bizkit etc.
4. rap is crap
5. so is classical (well not really, but I just don't get into it)
6. and I'm not stuck listening to the 70's music

In all honesty, I feel sorry for a lot of kids. There seems to be too big a generation gap, thus, the parent-kid connection seems to be missing something. At least it's not like that with me - my son either talks to me (I bought him a cell phone for graduation) or IM's me daily from college.
I drank and experimented in college, so I'm pretty in tuned with what goes on - and my kids know it.
I look at the kids of today (which I'm probably speaking to most of you) and I can easily look beyond the surface. People are too quick to judge based on appearance - I'm not. I don't pass judgement until I talk to people and get to know them a little bit.
Also, nobody my age listens to my kind of music - I go to concerts with my wifes friends nephew who is 24 - he's one of the few people I know who likes the "real" heavier stuff.
 
That's cool :D . I like my dad and everything, but he really doesn't understand me (a lot of it is my fault for not being around him that much). He thinks I have no hobbies, even though I do I just don't want to talk to him about it, anytime I tell him about one of my hobbies he tries to get interested in it even if he's not. Like when I started to play paintball he bought a really expensive paintball gun and NEVER used it EVER. So all my friends would say stuff like "Why don't you get your dad to play and use his RT, o wait nevermind, he doesn't use it." And i'm afraid if I told him I really liked listening to music he'd pretend he liked it or something and start doing really stupid stuff (don't feel like going into details but he'll do stupid stuff). It's just like I don't care if he doesn't like my hobbies, just don't pretend to like them.
 
Originally posted by Oyo
That's cool :D . I like my dad and everything, but he really doesn't understand me (a lot of it is my fault for not being around him that much). He thinks I have no hobbies, even though I do I just don't want to talk to him about it, anytime I tell him about one of my hobbies he tries to get interested in it even if he's not. Like when I started to play paintball he bought a really expensive paintball gun and NEVER used it EVER. So all my friends would say stuff like "Why don't you get your dad to play and use his RT, o wait nevermind, he doesn't use it." And i'm afraid if I told him I really liked listening to music he'd pretend he liked it or something and start doing really stupid stuff (don't feel like going into details but he'll do stupid stuff). It's just like I don't care if he doesn't like my hobbies, just don't pretend to like them.

It's actually the opposite with me and my kids - I never invade the space they created, but I create pretty good space and invite them in [ie:listening to Opeth, wanting to play football, etc].

I look at parenting this way - I already had my chance to "grow up and find myself", so who am I to tell my kids how to grow up. It's my job to teach right/wrong, good morals, etc, then cross my fingers and hope they listened. Hindsight is a great thing - I can look back and now see where i was wrong in listening to my parents - I guess you will just have to figure it out for yourself.

And, in your fathers defense - at least he's trying to connect with you. We're not all experts at relationships - it's harder for some, easier for others. I tell my kids this (even though I know it's hard for them) - come tell me anything you want - which includes telling me I'm a flaming moron if I'm acting stupid to them.

And as far as appearances - I guess I'm young enough looking to fit in when I go to concerts - wearing my Cradle of Filth t-shirt,etc. And, my kids don't mind at all being with me - I guess I'm lucky in that respect.

OK - enough of this parenting babble - time to leave work, put The Funeral Portrait on as I drive home, get home and relax with a bacardi & coke, and see what Friday night has to offer.

 
Originally posted by metalmancpa
I look at the kids of today (which I'm probably speaking to most of you) and I can easily look beyond the surface. People are too quick to judge based on appearance - I'm not

I like ur ideas on parenting. If only all parents were like u :) Then we'd probably still complain ;) But what I like about the internet is the fact you don't have people judging you on appearance, there is nothing to judge you on really except personality, which is good :D
 
My son used to listen to Soundgarden, AIC, Anthrax, etc...then he got into the urban rap stuff...his car would boom down the street with all those subwoofers and amps (what a waste, not my son, but his stereo)...

He wore black, but no piercings or any other stuff from your list.


Me, I love prog metal/prog rock. I also enjoy some of the goth stuff, like Nevermore...I think Opeth is more Prog Metal than anything, but I also think that they are their own "genre" of music.

Not too many 39 year old navy chiefs who listen to Opeth, in fact, I believe I am the only one.

respect!
jcp

ps - computer games rule and so do The Simpsons.