Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Mean Moms

I have been listening to my daughter come home after student teaching and thought, "What is wrong with people?!?!"

I am glad my chosen path was not teaching and I am so thankful for those who do!!

One thing I have noticed is that some people have stopped teaching their children accountability. In case you don't know what that is, it is accepting responsibility for your own actions.

An example: Your teacher tells you there is an assignment due the next Tuesday. You do not do the assignment. You get an "F" on the assignment that you DID NOT DO. That is the responsibility of your own action, or lack thereof.

But, what happens these days? Parents call the school saying how unfair it is for their precious little Susie to get a failing grade because she didn't do her assignment.

Now, let's recap. What have we learned from the above example?

Little Susie has learned that she can get away with whatever she wants because Mommie Dearest is going to stomp up to the school and "take care of things."

HHHHMMMM.....

The next generation is looking "promising." We had better get busy building more prisons because that judge isn't going to care how big of a fit Mommie Dearest pitches.

I wouldn't or couldn't ever claim to be a perfect mom.

But let me tell you, I whipped first and asked questions later! If my kids came home with a bad grade because they didn't turn in an assignment they were calling on Jesus to help them out! I didn't play that.

I have had to talk to teachers, but I was very certain before I did that, AND I listened to the teachers side before I drew any conclusions.

Anyway....I wanted to share this old poem. I changed one part. I challenge my children to find it and message it to me....don't leave it as a comment (we don't want everyone to know just how mean I am...hahaha)

Mean Moms

Someday when my children are old enough to

understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will

tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom,and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours

while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger,

disappointment, and tears in my eyes.

Children must

learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the

responsibility for your actions even when the

penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . . to say

NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm

glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

And someday when your children are old enough to

understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.

Was your Mom mean?

I know mine was.

We had the meanest mother in the whole world!

While other kids

ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.

When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.

And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was

different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all

times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She

had to know who our friends were, and what we were

doing with them. She insisted that if we said we

would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve

to break the Child Labor Laws by making us work.

We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry,

empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.

I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn

when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16 and then only with suitable chaperones. We were not allowed to be alone with a date.

Because of our mother we missed out on lots of

things other kids experienced. None of us have ever

been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime.

It was all her fault. Now we are in college becoming educated,

honest adults. We even go to church every service and look forward to it.

We are going to do our best to be mean

parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what's wrong with the world today.

It just doesn't have enough mean moms!


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