There is a story on the news service about the meanest mom. She gave her son a car at Thanksgiving, there were two rules, keep it locked and no booze. A summary of the ad says, Car for sale cause the snoopiest meanest mom in the world who needs to get a life is selling her son's car cause there was booze in it.
I love this story, but I think it is kind of sad that it is a news item. Shouldn't that just be normal, that parents set a rule, and when it is broken, they enforce the consequences? Think of the lives that would be saved if parents quit looking the other way and actually followed through. My mom used to say, "Don't threaten a kid with something unless you plan to carry out your threat." I think that is true, but we hate hurting their feelings, or we decide it was too harsh. Is it likely this mom just saved her son's life?
The tower room bathroom
1 year ago
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I agree with you. When we were younger...maybe 13 or 14. Kirsten was pregnant with McKenzie. She asked us to write Mckenzie a letting about how it felt to be that age and any advice, she also asked for a letter to her to explaining how it was to be our age and any advice for her in case she forgot what it was like to be a teen. Then Makenzie would get to open it on her 13th birthday or something like that and Kirsten would have a letter as well. I dont know how Lis's letter played out, but i remember mine and for years i have wanted to changed it...but i havent asked Kirsten for the letters back to change them because then they wouldnt be real. I am older now and understand why my dad was so protective and would let us know, i now know that dangers of pairing off with the opposite sex, something my dad tried to desperately to engrave upon me. i really want to write another letter...but one to correct my other one...Mckenzie will not open it when she turns 21...i want her to open it after she opens the other letter on her 13th birthday. Hopefully, she will see the amount of change that comes in teen years and understand more about her parents choices to ruin her social life. :) I want her to open the letter at that age so hopefully, i will feel like i have been able to have influence on her life and let her know that even though a boy might be really important at that time, within the next year...he will be in the past. Ergghh! i dont think i can reflect my feelings in writing, but hopefully everyone gets the picture. I hope Kirsten doesnt mind, but i think i might take her idea...but this time, i will have MaKenzie write a letter to me and to my children.
k...one more thing...i used to hate it how mean my parents were. I know that everyone in our family grew up with different experiences with Dad and mom...but i just want to clear things up...Dad was the most loving father and i really admire his hard work and the time he spent with us...everyone talks of his recklessness and abusiveness but i think i was about 7 when i got my last belt to the butt. It was around the end of the year and then next year, he sat us and promised that he would be so much better and hoped to never used his belt again, he also said that he will try to use a softer voice in stead of yelling when he was upset. I know that afterwards he had his days, but i know I had never gotten the belt since. he truly has been great...He still was strict but i now appreciate that. It was worth it, i think i turned out pretty ok.
yah, we never got that Dad but that doesn't mean I don't get all chokey just thinking about him. I have always thought he was the best Dad. I wouldn't say "everyone" talks about it but obviously enough people because you wouldn't have said that if you weren't sick of people saying it. Im glad you say things like that, it gives us all a chance to try to be more careful with our opinions.
I looooove that article about the "mean mom". Too bad their aren't more mean moms out there. She obviously had three things in mind with her son
1. She cared about him enough to give him a really cool present
2. She cared about him enough to realize he wasn't ready for it yet and took it away.
3. She cared about him enough not to lie to him. She said she would do it and she did. Congratulations to honesty.
ps I don't think Kirsten will mind you mentioning that stuff. Im going to ask my nieces to do something similar, thats cool.
Celeste mentioned pics at the bottom that I had to go see since I didn't know they were there- wow great pictures! I especially love the one of Sarah, she looks beautiful..and the lighting is just perfect. So I was just wondering if you would do us all a favor and do like a spotlight on each family member. The times that I have seen your family in the last 20 years is so limited that I'd love to get re-acquainted with the said Monsters.
I never used the belt on my kids, but I spanked them. Now that I look back, I don't say never spank, but I do say it should be saved for major mistakes not the regular everyday type. Sara hardly ever got one, but that was cause I had learned from my mistakes.
I think it is hard being a parent, and changing is even harder. But it can happen. I agree that this was a wise mom, you need to love them enough to be the meanest mom in the world!
I will try and think of something to write about each of the kids, but I might go by numbers instead of names.
I sure wish there were more mean moms (and dads) in the world. There was an incident that I heard about this week where two girls and a boy forged notes and made phone calls pretending to be the others' parents in order to skip school. The appalling thing is that 2 out of the 3 parents backed their kids up! Now, what did that just teach their children? That they can do whatever they want and mom and dad will get them out of it by LYING! I am just furious over it because kids just don't have to pay consequences like they should have to for doing stupid things. We (my brothers and sisters) always said we had the meanest mom in the whole world and now that I am a mom, I am so glad that she was.
Anne, I can't say I ever remember Dad using the BELT on me, i remember a peice of wood once, when I rode to school on my bike (with five others in my class) without permission... either way, I think we appreciate dad more cause of how loud and demonstrative Gleneen was... anyways, Nate and I laughed our heads off when that was on the news, it gives me great ideas. The most funny thing is that I can TOTALLY hear this teen telling his mom all these things when she sold the car!
I love this! I have found it to be true even with the smallest of things...like "no dessert unless you finish your dinner". I say good for the mom...
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