Tonight driving back from work, the reflections of the street lights reminded me of red and green lightsabers.I blame Carl, he's on a star wars kick so it's re-peaked my interest. it was disappointing to be in the rain all day. I was looking for something better out of today. A little league football team had their trophy ceremony at CiCi's tonight.

it was a true insight to the "parent culture." When I played little league sports I always felt a sense of competition between the parents of my teammates. like who was the most involved parent. Things haven't changed much. The parents in this group were no different. I could even pick myself out among these kids... like who i was most like as a kid and whose mom was like mine. The parent child combination was an essential part of this system. Not only was the competition present between the parents, but also the children. The coach's son is usually held i higher regard. In this culture it is key to understand something about it's individual disconnection. Our cultural attitudes lend us to lose a sense of self in marriage or parenthood. We are expected to place the self in the shadows of "family." Men are allowed more "individual" characteristics at the marriage level; football, beer, a not too numerous friend base. But even these "individual" characteristics are highly scripted and understood to be truths among the parent culture. So it is all part of the process. In losing one's self to parenting or marriage one's attitudes of "individuality" and "freedom" change as well. No longer is living without set relationship standards or separate housing even considered as a possible freedom in this parent culture. The rules are set and thus the football Sundays become just as much a part of the lose of self as conceding to one living quarters as part of the "family" expectation.

The rules of the parent culture are strict and culturally expected. Even if a child is raised by a single mother or father, she/he is still looked at as being "deprived" by not having access to two parents. this "parent culture" is kept between isolated couples kept generally at arms length from other couples by putting kids first (in all aspects of life; for many the child's schedule runs the parents life), limiting personal freedom within the parameters of the spouse, completely gender roles, making "kid talk" with either parents, etc. "Parent culture" is strict business, as are many cultural sects.