Outsourcing. Everybody is complaining about outsourcing. As a matter of fact, outsourcing is becoming so widespread in some industries that it is virtually impossible to speak to a customer service representative in which English is their native tongue (at least until they transfer you on to the 2nd level technician). It has just become a way of life.

OK, I understand the rationale for that: big companies pay smaller salaries to those who answer basic questions and can more readily find those overseas who are more likely to accept such jobs. These companies have neither the time nor inclination to find the number of employees that it takes to handle the volume of problems their products inevitably produce and the bigger the company, the quicker they are throwing out substandard products that have more problems that require more technicians to handle the headaches from the problems their products are producing. Been there; done that.

Then there is the whole series of headaches one gets from maneuvering the never-ending labrynth of the customer service phone system. I literally spent over three hours on a phone call for a particular product two weeks ago only to have my call dropped while waiting for the third "customer service" representative. Been there? Done that?

The point is there seems to be no limit to what can be outsourced. This morning I heard of the latest outsourcing trend: parenting. Yes, I know, parenting has been outsourced for some time through nanny's, day-care, au pairs, etc. That is not to say that everyone who uses such services are neglecting their parenting responsibilities, in my opinion. There are circumstances in which parents simply need an extra set of hands or a couple of hours in the day to get some other responsibilities accomplished. I'm not casting judgment on such families who are doing all they can without neglecting their basic responsibilities.

On the other hand, there are those situations where some people like to have children but quite frankly don't really like raising children. That would be called irresponsible parenting, to use the word parenting loosely. In such cases, their children are literally being raised by someone else. Perhaps I am, by default, casting judgment on such people because that is clearly wrong. Perhaps it would be better for them (to use the terminology my wife enjoyed using in describing when our dog was spayed) to have their "puppy box" removed.

The latest trend involves the hiring of coaches. This involves hiring a "professional" to come to your home and teach your children such basic things as how to go potty, how to ride a bicycle, how to throw and catch a ball, etc. In other words, things that are traditionally taught by parents are now being taught to children by a professional...by a stranger. An “expert”, perhaps, but a stranger, nonetheless.

Lest you think that these are the above-mentioned parents who simply dump their children off on these coaches and leave to do something else, most of the parents seem to be present on the sidelines watching, encouraging, but simply feeling unable to successfully teach their children themselves. They are participants, to a degree, but at best they are giving a meager dose of moral support.

Is this a good idea? In a word, no. There is a bond that children form with parents by doing these sorts of things together, regardless of how adept parents are to teach. Unfortunately, it seems that parents have gotten some kind of idea that unless they are masters of such skills themselves they are unqualified to pass on any sort of training to their children. This is a sad commentary on our society.

My advice: suck it up and get over it! Your children need you more than they need to be expertly trained at this age. They need involvement. If you need to, get a book and learn how to sit your child on a toilet seat. Throw a ball and let them chase after it until they learn to catch it. Let them throw it to you and then you go chase it until they get better. It's not rocket science.

Put your child on a bike and run alongside them. Pick them up, put a bandage on their skinned knee, give them a hug and a kiss and put them back on the bike. Repeat steps one through six until steps three through six are eliminated. voila!

If coaches are really necessary, let them coach you how to teach your kid and then you do it. The result? Your kids will love you and be able to say their mom and/or dad taught them to ride a bike. They can tell their friends that their dad taught them how to play baseball. And you? You'll be a super hero...and there just aren't enough of those left in the world anymore.

Labels: David C. Price