Claire L. Hebert-Dow: Office visit gave me a few definition of parental abuse

To The Daily Sun,

Letters to the editor seem to be taking a life of their own. It's understandable given our frustration from a host of controversial issues. I do my best to stick to the facts and avoid unnecessary hyperbole, but what I witnessed at a medical appointment this week needs some airing. And I may get testy.

I'm sitting in a waiting room and in comes a dad with his no-older-than-nine-year-old son.

They are both wearing a mask. The dad is asked the usual questions but clearly shows an attitude. And when the son casually asks why these questions, right away the dad spits out a litany of government abuses, like the receptionist, me and his son need to know this.

I couldn't believe how the dad wouldn't shut up as they walked to the elevator. He continued ranting about the injustices heaped on us from a government who seeks to take our rights away.

I thought of our teachers and what they face with the fluidity imbedded in this upcoming school year. Keeping today's kids focused on learning is a tough enough job as it is. But to bring children into the classroom carrying the weight of an adult's issues is unconscionable.

Our brains have adjusted to years of data, offering us the opportunity to assess what fits and doesn't fit into our perspective. But to force feed a child who has yet to gain the maturity to make his own decisions is a new version of parental abuse.

Claire L. Hebert-Dow

Laconia

524-7166