I’m taking the kids to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus this weekend in Bridgeport, which brings back memories of the time I nearly slugged an animal rights protester.
It was years ago, when my 7-year-old daughter was just a toddler and going to her first circus. I wasn’t expecting an aggressive woman to rush up to us and start shouting. I’m sorry to say, my reaction to say quietly “get the %&$% out of my face.” I immediately turned away and went into the arena, ashamed of my immature words.
So here we go again. The publicity-craving protesters will be out in force this weekend with their bullhorns and gruesome signs. Thankfully, they will be behind barricades. When they yell at my family, will they know my two daughters have never eaten a bite of meat in their lives? Will they know my wife has been a vegetarian for more than 20 years?
I expect that in a few years, my older daughter will object to circuses that feature animals. But until that time, I want her to enjoy the show. I don’t want someone confusing and scaring her about issues she is not yet able to fully understand.
Many activists are challenging the barricades rule. Here’s what one told the Connecticut Post: “We form a long line because people have to go through security. That way, we can have a meaningful exchange of ideas. People ask questions and children ask why we are sad. We say it’s because of the way animals are treated. You can’t have a meaningful conversation 50 to 100 feet away.”
I don’t want this guy to have any exchange with my kids, meaningful or otherwise.
Stay behind your barricade, or better yet, stick to the animal testing labs or slaughterhouses. How do I know these extremists aren’t capable of violence? It’s enough to make anyone swear.

In the five days since three teenagers died in a car crash in Wolcott, feelings have shifted from shock to blame. For proof, read the raw emotion on display in the WTNH blogs.
There’s plenty of blame to go around.
First, the driver. A 17-year-old obsessed with speed, with a history of underage drinking and poor driving skills directly causes the deaths of two innocent girls — one, his 14-year-old sister.
Second, the state. A bizarre and hard-to-understand loophole in the law allowed the driver to get his license back in three months instead of six after a DUI conviction because he didn’t take a Breathalyzer.
Lastly, the driver’s parents. This is a hard one. No one wants to make their pain any worse, but lessons need to be learned — for young people and parents. To allow their son to drive after a DUI, traffic infractions and crashing at least four vehicles is negligence. They are paying a price to steep to even imagine.
Unfortunately, it comes down to the parents. The 17-year-old, as evidenced by his actions, is too immature to make the correct decisions. The state fails repeatedly when it comes to public safety. Loose parole regulations helped get a Cheshire family slaughtered. Politicians are good at reacting to disaster, not preventing it.
So we are left with the parents. Raising children is a constant struggle. Did I make the right call? Did I do the right thing? We second guess ourselves constantly and try and learn from our mistakes. But in the end, it is our responsibility to remain in control of our young childrens’ lives. We try and steer them in the right directions and hope we have given them the tools to be decent adults.
Parents often say they are willing to give in on some things. A piercing? A cell phone? Is that a battle you’re willing to lose, so when the real challenge arrives, you’ll fight to win?
There was a battle to be fought between Anthony Apruzzese and his parents. A drunk driving charge, crashes and constant reckless behavior meant it was time for his parents to fight their son for his own and other’s sake.
From the facts of the case, it appears they didn’t even try.

Take a good look at the people in this photo, taken today by the Hartford Courant.
This husband and wife just learned their 15-year-old daughter had been killed in a high-speed car crash in Wolcott. If you have kids who are new drivers, show them this picture. Make them understand that this couple just died a little bit. Make them understand the anquish will never go away and will extend like horrible tendrils through many lives for many years.
The Wolcott crash today also killed the 17-year-old driver and his 14-year-old sister. Just try and imagine what that family is feeling. The driver made a rookie mistake. He tried to pass a vehicle turning into a parking lot and drove into the path of an oncoming truck.
Police said the driver was speeding. Of course he was. Young people driving fast is part of our culture now. They are aided and abetted by car companies that emphasize racy performance and parents who seem to have no problem buying their children cars they don’t know how to properly drive.
Recently in Bristol, four teenage lives were snuffed out in an instant is an eerily similar crash, right down to the kind of car being driven by the inexperienced driver. This carnage has got to stop. It appears the driver was charged with DUI earlier this year. He already had his license back. This is madness. Raise the driving age to 18. Enforce speed limits and take away licenses.
Who would support such things? Take a good look at this photo.

My 3-year-old daughter is learning the fine art of manipulation.
Here’s an example. The other night, she woke up crying and said her throat hurt. This was a little out of character, so of course my wife and I completely overreacted. We coddled, comforted, swathed, cuddled and fussed over her for the next day. Whatever she wanted, she got.
She was fine the next night and things were back to normal.
Until, two days later, I told her to help me clean up the dress-up clothes she left on the playroom floor.
“Noooo,” she whined.
“You better help me, or all this stuff gets put away for good.”
“But if I do, my throat will hurt.”
Oh, you are wise, little one. Very wise.