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Foolishness? On the contrary, your dad missed a golden opportunity to be a real light in Al's life. As a historian, your dad could have used this opportunity to nurture another child's interest in history, and also sharpen Al's historical knowledge by debating various historical matters. Who knows? Maybe if Al's interest in history had been nurtured and expanded, he might have turned out better than he did. But instead, all he saw was an adult who was too full of his own importance to share his knowledge with a child.
You are way off course here but believe what you like.
You are reading a lot into this that is not anywhere near reality.
I am a parent and I echo that statement. I did not and do not chose my children's friends. My parents did not do this for me. Surely no parent does this!
I am a parent of two and I never did it but I am aware enough that I couldn't speak for all parents.
The only thing one can do is introduce your kids to other children who you feel would be a good match. After that, it’s their decision as to whether or not to cultivate a friendship, or discontinue further social interaction.
There is no way, practically, or psychologically, to make your child befriend, or not befriend, any particular person.
It is the same for romantic relationships, and marriages, unless one believes in arranged and/or forced marriage, which even then, you roll the dice on that as well.
I am a parent of two and I never did it but I am aware enough that I couldn't speak for all parents.
I'm not speaking for anyone other than myself. Surely no human being alive who has a child would think that being a parent allows such person to choose the friends of their offspring. I do not know what being a parent has to do with having an opinion on this, but I am on board with this thought. I do not believe it could possibly be.
I'm sort of going through this now as my only child has made an, ahem, "questionable" friend that has some very, very bad habits, none of which seem to phase his parents who allow this kid to do these things.
Rather than steer him away from that kid, I've just tried to let him know many of those habits are not going to fly in our household so he'd better not try and bring them here or let me see him exhibiting some of those behaviors. I don't want to say he cannot be friends with this kid but if I'm being honest I do wish he'd have found different friends, we have literally hundreds in our neighborhood alone around his age.
Maybe the novelty of the "exciting" or "naughty" friend will wear off, and your son will gravitate toward better choices eventually.
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