Thursday, January 11, 2007

Since when is killing prostitutes a bad thing?

Note to self, never allow Dad around PS2!

We all went out to my Dad's this weekend to wrap up the Christmas festivities. My little brother is finally back from Iraq and it was the first available time all of us could get together. Upon entering the house Dad was nowhere to be found. He recently discovered Grand Theft Auto for the PS2. We headed to the back to see what he was doing.

Rebecca: Whatcha doin?
Dad: Screwing prostitutes and killing them!


As you can see, this was an interesting answer to the question. Soon all of the kids were gathered around watching him drive the cars and run people over. Childhood innocence at it's finest. We all ate, opened the last of the gifts and relaxed. The day was winding to an end when it dawned on me.....

Teacher: What did you do this weekend Aubrey?
Aubrey: We watched Grandpa screw prostitutes and then kill them!
Teacher: You, uh, well, WHAT?


I could just imagine my phone ringing the next afternoon and though it would be funny to be non-direct, here's how I imagine the conversation going.

Me: Hello
Teacher: Mr. Clark, we have a slight problem. I was talking to the kids in class today and Aubrey told me she watched her Grandpa kill a prostitute?
Me: Ha ha, yeah, he's funny. It's just a game he plays sometimes on the weekend. The kids gather around and watch and just laugh and laugh.
Teacher: So, uh, you knew about this?
Me: Oh yeah, I play sometimes too. It's gratifying in a sense. Almost like a money back guarantee I guess. If you're not satisfied you just kill her and take your money back. Then again, even if you were satisfied would you still let her live, or just take the money and go buy some guns or something?
Teacher: I really, wow, ok, um.....
Me: Oh, its ok, the kids know that it's not something that you can do all the time. Like I said, it's just a weekend game. With work and getting dinner ready during the week there really isn't time for it.
Teacher: (now past her speechless phase and yelling) I cannot believe you would subject your kids or any person to this! What do you think this is some kind of sick joke? I think the only proper course of action while maintaining the child's best interest is to turn you in!
Me: I don't think anyone is going to do anything about it.
Teacher: (still yelling) Killing prostitutes?
Me: I agree, it is a little unreasonable to have that in front of the kids, but with proper supervision and understanding they should be ok with it. It's not that we have to shelter our kids from all the bad things in the world, we just need to be smart about how they're explained and the manner in which we let them participate.
Teacher: You have got some serious problems.....
Me: Yeah, who would have thought that the coders for Grand Theft Auto would have written that in as a game feature. I wonder if it came from a personal experience?
Teacher: Game?
Me: Yes, I told you it was my Dad's weekend game.
(silence)
CLICK!


*Just to let everyone know, Dad wasn't actually screwing and killing the prostitutes in front of the kids, just the driving parts of the game. The conversations in this were completely fictitious and are for amusement only.