Parenting Without Any D#@n Sense

I saw something today that really disturbed me. I came back home from my daily workout (gettin mah six-pack game up) and I saw this lady get up when I pulled my car up to the gate. I recognized this lady as the "extra regular" lady who frequently sits outside on the bench while her baby runs amok in the parking lot. I say "extra regular" because everything about her is pretty, well, REGULAR. Regular clothes, regular car, regular hair style, hell she even LOOKS regular. For instance, if you lost her in a crowd of people and she had your car keys, you bes start asking people for bus change...unless you wanna play a real life "Where's Waldo". Back to the story, I thought it peculiar this time that she got up when I came in the parking lot, because usually she just sits there barely recognizing my presence and also she walked over by where the water hose is attached to the building, where people wash there car. So, as I pull into my parking space, I think "Where the hell is the baby?" When I get out of the car and head into the building, my question is answered. I see this chick, standing next to her baby, who is literally STANDING in a METAL BUCKET of bubbly water. Now, my first thought was hell, this is the South, maybe she was having a "Color Purple" moment. Then, I said naw homie, under NO circumstances do you wash your baby, while the baby is still wearing the baby uniform, in a metal bucket, in a public parking lot, in downtown Atlanta, MINUTES away from your own damn bathtub!

This then got me thinking about another situation regarding questionable parenting. I went out with a couple of friends for drinks after work. Now let me say, that this is a bar/nightclub. It is Friday evening. We all know what happens during this time. GROWN FOLKS ISH. So anyways, we get a table on the upstairs patio overlooking the street and get some drinks and chill. After some time, I notice this little Asian girl running across the patio. I didn't believe it so I asked my friends for confirmation...Indeed it was a little girl, couldn't have been older than 9, running around a bar on Friday night. To make matters worse, there was no parental figure in sight. After managing to continue conversation and libation with friends, while intermittently being distracted by the running baby, her "parent" shows up....WITH A CIGARETTE! This like 50-something white guy is just chillin with his homies smoking on cigs, while ignoring that attention craving baby. And he also makes a point to exhale his smoke mafia boss style in babygirl's face.

I note these two experiences to say, some people just shouldn't have children. I could at this point make some sweeping indictment about white parenting, but I shall refrain. I have seen some crazy things when Shaniqua (take no offense if this is your name) takes her five babies (take no offense if this is your baby count) to the grocery store (any depictions that are similar to your real life situation are purely coincidental). When these aforemtioned children turn out to walk around in trenchcoats showin the goods to underage girls (my man in the bucket) or breathing through a hole in her neck at 25 and becoming an alcoholic to take the pain away (homegirl at the bar), you can say you heard it here first.