I would email you privately if I could find a contact on your site.

I found your site through another one that said you have funny comments about your kids, but I have to say that they don't seem that funny to me.
Maybe you are only posting the sort of edgy stuff because you think it's funny, and there is lots of other normal stuff that you don't post about. I can't tell.

I have 3 boys (and 4 girls). My boys are 16, 20, and 26 -- so I think I have some experience. I admit that I'm a middle-aged mom and you may not be all that happy to hear from me. But here goes.

A boy who is 6 should not be playing x-box or watching weird comics on tv. He should have boxcars and trains and Lincoln logs and be outside digging in the dirt with his brother. If he's sick he could watch old Disney movies and bugs bunny cartoons -- and be read to from the oldest books you can find from the library. He should be happy and very open to expressions of affection.

Let's not be so edgy that we don't get what it means to be six, or be cool with a six year old acting like a jaded thirty-something. Go reread your posts about him and ask yourself what is really coming through.

If my son said that the kids had given him the nickname Governor of the Dead I would look into what the kids were talking about at that school.

Just a heads up -- I don't think you are a bad person or anything. I have been through many things with my 7 kids that make me wish someone had told me to pay closer attention to what was going on and not just project my own immaturity when my kids were begging for me to be in charge.

Kids deserve the most innocent childhood we can give them. Bad stuff happens but having a safe home where your emotional development is taken seriously helps you get through it. I don't think calling a six year old "evil genius" is funny, really. They don't have the mental equipment yet to deal with stuff like that. You probably will respond that he gets it, but what he gets is that he wants your approval, like any other six year old would want when it comes to his dad.

If you were my son I'd tell you that I think you are on the wrong track, so I am telling you. You seem intelligent and I have a feeling you know that you can do better. Why don't you start now? With a young child you can begin again, and in 20 years you will be grateful you did. I wish you all the best. God bless.

In Tony's defense -
I've been reading his blog for a long time, I have never met him and I really can't remember how I stumbled onto it- Im sure it was something he posted about Microsoft, or something else tech related, but if you think that he is just being edgy,or trying to be funny, I think , in my opinion, your very off track.
First, to the response about a six year old playing video games- what makes this a bad thing? Whats the difference between playing with lincoln logs or playing video games? I grew up playing video games, actually, a lot of the time I played with my dad. I had a wonderful time doing it and I think that the benefits are the same as playing with anything else. What each generation of people sees as normal behavior changes greatly over time. Video games stimulate the mind offering challenges and quirky puzzles that make you think. All video games are not violent and even the ones that are dont affect the mind of a normal child who understands right and wrong. In addition, if you follow your own advice and re-read some of Tony's blog entry's I think that you will find that his family is very acquainted with the outdoors- for example, look up the blog on Geo-Tracking.
Furthermore, I don't think that its fair to base his son's whole image on the couple quirky comments he makes- truthfully, I would probably be more concerned to hear a 'jaded thirty something' make those comments than my 6 year old son. I hope that you don't feel Im attacking your comment, that is not the case at all, I just wanted to express my feeling that maybe your views on what was/is right for your own children, in the time that they grew up, are not right for everyones.
As far as the 'weird comics on tv ' - he is a kid, he watches cartoons. How is Avatar any less realistic or educational/instructional/appropriate than a talking spider,fox,monkey , boy who is raised by wolves, or a pack of dwarves living with a lady who gets poisoned by an apple? I grew up with parents who were very loving and I feel that they gave me a strong understanding of right and wrong. I think they were very good parents and I often go to them for advice. For the majority of my childhood, I was in front of the tv or computer playing videogames. Granted, when I was 6 it was more along the lines of Mario than Doom, but I started playing first-person shooters when I was around 11 or 12. I have never had the desire to kill anyone or be violent. Quite the opposite actually, I have never been in a fight and cant bring myself to go hunting because I cannot see myself being ok with killing an animal. Im a sales manager at very successful car dealership on the East Coast, I also do a lot of networking work on the side. I wanted to be batman when I grew up, well, that was until I figured out that spider-man was cooler. When I was about six I remember telling my mom that my code name was cheetah and I was the re-incarnation of a special forces soldier from the war. I even had a little hat.
Personally, I think he is doing a pretty good job. He is spending a lot of time with his kids and that is the most important thing that any parent can do, besides, when his little evil genius does over throw the government he will remember his dear old dad. :-D
Cody

Tony I just knew you were a bad parent. Now I have proof. Shame on you.

Thanks, Brooksie, for your opinion. The stories on the blog don't really provide a full picture of our lives. I certainly pick the stories that I think others will find funny and that fit the characters of the boys that I'm portraying. "Michael played in the dirt again" stories probably wouldn't be very interesting, even though those days occur far more frequently than "Michael tried to kill me" days. (I kind of wish more bloggable stuff would happen, but as you might have noticed, those posts don't happen too often.)

It's not dissimilar to the food blogs that you read that brought you here; almost no one wants to hear about the every meal - just the ones that stand out.

In any case, there are as many opinions about how to raise children as there are parents. I certainly don't pretend to be perfect; like most parents, I just try to do my best.

Cody, thanks for the nice words.

Chooky, well... :)

wow. I came to your site from 'Cook and Eat" and it's a trip. I'm not having children because as far as I'm concerned, the post is filled, but I have spent time with kids who have internalized the violence, or repressed violence of our society, and 'act out' that repression on a daily basis as they explore how grownups receive it and what is acceptable. How to handle that healthily is such a finessed kind of thing. Good luck!

The first commercial is amazing and so intricatly layered with social references that it is genius, really. It reminded me of the old time 30's and 40's Claudette Colbert type films. When will the genders reconsile? Ha ha...it threw me for a loop anyway, and that's always a good and fun thing. Hopefully...