Parenting.

Okay, now I know I am not a parent, never will be, which is probably why parents (especially friends who become parents) drive me insane.  Not all.Hell, I have one friend who is raising his child single-handedly after the mom decided she was not ready to be a mom and wanted to put the kid up for adoption at 6 months old.  Now that is fucked up.

But I digress.  So let me start again.  Why do people change so radically when they become parents?  Now I am not talking about becoming more responsible, or not partying like they used to.  I am talking HUGE changes that make you barely recognize your friend.

The God factor.  This is the first one I became aware of.  My friend in high school got pregnant, had her baby, and suddenly *BOOM* hard core Christian.  And, no, not like bless you Christian, but YOU ARE GOING TO HELL Christian.  She tried to rewrite history of herself as the second virgin mother.  Sorry sweets, I remember you at 15.  She is now homeschooling her little angel because she does not want her child exposed to ... well, life I guess.  Not that I am opposed to homeschooling, if you have the tools (brains) to teach your child properly.

The villiage must raise him.  This is the next one.  Now don't get me wrong.  I do believe that we, as a society, do need to step up and take a more active role in mentoring the youth today.  But the point of the village raising a child, is that others get to input their skills, their views, there morals in the child.  So your child learns about diversity, and understands that different is not necessarily wrong.  The problem is when these parents seem to think the world should change to accommodate what they want their child to learn.  Yeah, these are the parents who demand that Glee be taken off the air, are offended by turbans and hijabs (though they put that cross around their kids neck), and wonder aloud at how DARE Miley Cyrus dance like that when her daughter looks up to Hannah Montana (and seriously: letting a Disney kid be your child's idol?  Have we learned nothing from Lindsay Lohan?)

Then there are the people who suddenly become a non-entity.  Every conversation is about this kid.  If you try to discuss the world they have to give you and opinion based on "Well as a mother/father", like by sheer act of giving birth or impregnating another your opinion should carry more weight.  Yeah, it doesn't.  Frankly all you have proven is that you can have sex.  Yeah, me too.  Get over yourself.

So to all you parents out there who managed to stay true to themselves:  Great job.  Yeah, this kid I have no worries about.  Dad level: Awesome.