I’ve been told by some people in the past that I was too tough on my two boys. They thought I should let my sons get away with things because they were cute and sweet and just being boys. However, I never had a problem facing their criticism and proudly wear my badge of honor.
Yes, I am that parent who turned her son in when he did something wrong. Nothing major, but he was in a video made during school hours where you could not see his head, but you could see his hands clear as day when he decided to flip off the camera. I recognized those hands because no one else has thumbs like his, so I turned him into the principal. When my other son showed that he could not handle social media appropriately, he lost the privilege of having it, and I checked his phone regularly to make sure he was not hiding anything. In today’s society, most parents would have ignored the video or laughed along with him and his classmates. They would jump on social media and demonstrate worse behavior than their child. Not me because they need to know there are consequences for your actions.
Yes, I am that parent who tells her boys it is their responsibility to speak with their teachers if they have missing assignments or a failing test grade. I didn’t jump in to save them or to make excuses. They had to first try to resolve the situation themselves. I would coach them through how to talk to the teacher so that they weren’t going in unprepared, but ultimately, it was up to them to solve the problem they created.
Yes, I am that parent who required her sons to text when they arrived somewhere and when they were leaving. Phones were taken away and privileges lost if they did not follow our expectations.
Yes, I am that parent who had her sons washing and folding clothes, cleaning the entire house, taking out trash, mowing the lawn, and cooking at an early age. If they made the mistake of saying something was my job as the mother, they quickly learned it would be their job.
Yes, I was that parent who made her boys finish out a football, baseball, basketball, etc. season even though their friends quit or they just didn’t like the coach. They honored their commitments instead of giving up because giving up is easy to do.
Yes, I am that parent who tells her sons to treat girls with respect. Open the car door. Get out of your car and go to the door. Honor the word no. Break up in person not over text. Keep your mouth closed about her instead of trashing her reputation.
I am definitely not the perfect parent. I made some poor choices myself as I grew as a parent. And, I am blessed to have a supporting husband who has a similar mindset when it comes to parenting. We are a united front when it comes to raising our sons. My two sons are not perfect, and they have made some poor decisions at times. That is part of growing up. However, I have seen them mature into young men who own up to their responsibilities, treat others with respect, and know how to take care of themselves.
So, yes, I proudly wear my mean parent badge of honor. Too bad more parents prefer a friend badge or a “my child never does wrong” badge. Maybe if more owned being a mean parent, our society would be different. What do you think?