Stay Classy, Boys and Girls Club

I recently decided to start volunteering my time at the Boys and Girls club in Wasilla. At first, I just thought it would be great resume padding until I could find a job that I didn't have to commute to here in Wasilla. After spending just 2 days at the club, learning the names of all the children who I could relate to when it came to childish things like cartoons and games, I found out that I was rather willing to mentor these kids; mainly because I went to the same club at their age, and it seems that names and faces have changed... but the setting and the behaviors of the entire club hasn't changed. It was still a free-for-all of tattling, begging the handful of adults to watch them, either for attention or because they needed someone to supervise them.

And one thing still hasn't changed at all, and that is the offspring of certain authoritarians LOVE to use their inherited ties with their supervisor parents as a badge of authority to tell other kids what to do, what they did (and lie or twist the story with exaggeration, because that's what kids do when their parents don't give them enough attention -say, because they are watching every other kid in the club-. They feel like they have to make it more exciting), and tell their parents like a sniveling snitch, void of independence and exists solely to cause anger or hate so they can tell their parent authorities, who assume (not earn) authority over the other kids, and watch as they succeed in using their last name and parental trust as a badge to get what they want. It’s a simple process: make people angry, wait for them to retaliate, then tell the supervisor (parent) what happened; then sit back and watch the fun.

Now you'd think that this behavior would be trivial when it came to dealing with kids. However, the people who work at the club couldn't give flying flak about what the kids were doing; they aren't there to mentor the kids, or to try and make their lives better while their parents are out working to keep a roof over their head. No, they are there because they have a code they need to adhere to, where they need a certain amount of adults in the same room as a certain amount of kids. That's it. They're a pair of eyes that announce rules, nothing more. How do they expect kids to trust that kind of adult? How can you expect a child to adhere to the will of some stranger their parents dropped them off with, while they sit behind a desk barking away like a rabid Labrador? Honestly, I think a trained dog could do the job of those adults much more efficiently and without complaints. And the kids would respect a dog.

If you value the well-being of your children, do not put them through the painful experience that is Boys and Girls Club. During my volunteer hours, all I saw were boys talking about how they want to fool around with hot girls, to shoot things or people, listen to music that is way beyond their age level (which the adults blast at ear-shattering levels on 'Dance Monday' like a punkster with 14 inch subwoofers, because the kids 'like that music') and cuss, or just express a genuine 'Stop liking what I don't like!' attitude; while the (handful of) girls try to stay outside, avoiding the boys, and breaking the club apart down the seams. There is no integration, no team work; the kids are just fending for themselves until their parents get there. I guess that could be what the supervisors are trying to accomplish, so they don’t have to deal with kids by the groups. They can control the kids easier one at a time.

These people do not care about your kids. They care about the same things that you care about and cause you to put your kids in that OK Corral of a club. They won't spend time with your kids unless they do something wrong. They won't talk to them unless the kids come to them. They won't play with them unless that particular playtime is scheduled. They are there for their miserable paychecks or community service hours, nothing more.