The Scribble with Jeremy Bradley

Parenting ain't what it used to be. And onlookers notice. Non-parents notice. Big time. Non-parent, Jeremy Bradley, shares his observations about how today's parents compare to when he was growing up in the '80s and '90s. "We weren't friends with our parents," JB said. "You were afraid of your parents back then. And that's not a bad thing." JB talks about how parents aren't raising their kids how they were raised. Meaning, many households had strict rules back in the day, so if that's how you were brought up, why aren't you raising your kids that way? Is this why kids today are out of control? Later, JB is in tears laughing about a family birthday party memory. 

A child being applauded for finishing his ice cream at Dairy Queen. A child being congratulated for eating all of his fries at McD's. Jeremy Bradley is confused about why kids require such positive reinforcement for eating... junk food. "Way to go, buddy! Good job!" JB doesn't understand why parents make a big deal about kids eating food. From there, JB continues on about food and why taxpayers are expected to help feed schoolchildren. "We ate breakfast at home," JB said, "If you can't afford to feed kids, don't have kids."

Is it really cheaper to make food at home? Jeremy Bradley talks about how the golden rule to save money was always to make your own food and not dine out at expensive restaurants. With the crazy cost of groceries, JB maps out several dining instances that have him questioning the math. How much does a night out with a friend cost? Are you going out less because you feel establishments are overcharging for what they offer?

As people get older, they either embrace their age... or try to hide from it. As Jeremy Bradley turns 44, he talks about aging and wonders why people lie to themselves about how many years they've been alive. "You can change your face, you can change other body parts, but your age is still your age," JB says. He talks about the pivot when young people brag about how old they are ("I'm an adult now!") to playing coy as they age ("How old do you think I am?"). JB wonders the magical age that has people finally embracing their age. "People shy away from saying they're in their 50s or 60s but when they hit other milestones, say, 80, people, like Jane Fonda, are proud to admit it." JB talks about executive producer, Bonnie Winters, who will never publicly say her age. (Cough- 70s)

Is he becoming a grumpy old man? Jeremy Bradley is days away from turning 44 and admits that he's fed up with dealing with people in public. "I"m going to end up on one of those A&E shows at some point," JB says. From loud talkers to obnoxious kids to the genuinely inconsiderate, JB talks about how he prefers being out in public in the daytime when everyone else is at work or school. "I don't have people crashing into me because they're staring down at their phone. I don't have to cover my ears because a kid is having a meltdown for their parent's phone." Later, JB wonders why customers have to pay a premium price just for timely customer service responses. 

More and more, fake social media profiles are set up to dupe other users. Whether it's to scam them out of money or catfish to mess with someone's emotions, it's getting worse every day. Jeremy Bradley talks about the obviously fake pages on Meta platforms and the astonishing amount of people following and commenting... and getting fooled. "It makes me want to be a scammer," JB jokes. "I could clean out these people!"

As we get older the tables turn: the parents that raised us will often need to be taken care of as they age. Jeremy Bradley talks about serious debates he's had with relatives and friends about the care of elderly parents. Is it the kid's/kids' responsibility to take care of parents in poor health or is it only a moral obligation?

It's a walk-back this week, says Jeremy Bradley. He recently went on a rant about how news broadcasting has become all-about-me TV with reporters and anchors performing on social media in content totally unrelated to their job. Listeners reached out and said there are plenty of professions where people post and stream live from their job. The problem: they're getting fired because of it. JB talks about watching videos of people immediately going live on social media to talk about how going live got them fired. Ironic, right? 

You're workplace besties. One of you leaves the job and goes elsewhere. What happens to that friendship? Jeremy Bradley talks about the fizzling out of friendships after you no longer see each other every day. The big question: were you really friends or was it a workplace convenience? He talks about a listener who wonders why she was all but ghosted weeks after saying goodbye to her in-office BFF. Later, JB talks about his obsession with someone who ghosted him in his 20s, then the revelation years later and how JB got the last laugh.

Do you really care what shoes the anchor is wearing? Does a dancing weatherman help you prepare for a storm? Is reporting from a tragedy really the best time for a selfie? Jeremy Bradley, who's been in the news business for over 20 years, chimes on why people don't take seriously trained "professional" journalists anymore. It's not about factual reporting, it's the look-at-me-I'm-on-TV mindset employees have at their respective news outlets... and it's only getting worse.