I've seen plenty of throwaway kids recently, including a bunch who were kicked out when they turned 18 or finished HS. I can't understand any parent who'd throw out their own kid, but, understand it or not, I'm seeing a lot of it.
There's always been a certain number of kids who have gotten kicked out upon graduation or turning 18. Experience tells me that, frequently, there's more to the story than just a selfish parent heartlessly booting their kid. Many times, there's a rebellious kid unwilling to follow the rules of the parents, a person causing havoc in the household and the parent doesn't really know how else to deal with it. I think a lot of those kids end up in a revolving door relationship with their parents until they finally leave for good at some point.
Having said that, my personal opinion is that most kids aren't close to ready for the rigors of adult life at 18, and if you work at it, you can help them grow into it (even as they turn your hair white). Of course, I say all this not having gone through it yet. My opinion may change as my experience does!
The case of Alice and Rebecca Walker doesn't exemplify any of the normal relationships one typically sees between parents and children. As a feminist, Alice Walker bought into and lectured on the radical feminist ideals of self-fulfillment at all cost and believed strongly that any "duty" imposed by husband or children was a form of slavery. This is patently ridiculous; we all have connections with others that impose obligations on us, willingly or not, and none of those amount to imprisonment or slavery.
Commenting by HaloScan
