I am going to post this at the risk once again of just sounding a bit frusterated.
Today at work we were speaking of the "golden days" as it was mentioned. You know when you were dirt poor and everybody else was too. You ate what you were served and it may have really sucked, and you better not have made a face especially not in public because that would be so disrespectful and rude to your parents. Quite shameful and embarrassing in fact for your mom. Basically it let everyone know you were a pretty 'bad kid" and your mom needed to beat your ass. Like what gave you the right when you parents worked so hard for you to thumb your nose at what they obviously did their damn best and still could barely scrape by to give you. Show some respect...right? Or am I off?
Your clothes were what hand me downs fit out of the hand me down bag and you were actually pretty excited when a new bag showed up. Trying anything to make one thing or another fit or look cool. Sometimes you suprised your parent by having your room organized and the house extra clean just because and if you got in trouble and assigned and extra chore, you did it because you knew there was nothing happening till it was done. Now that something happening was usually just going to your best friends house to giggle in her room or play in the yard, walk to the park or something that did not involve a lot of money and did not have to be huge. You just got to be around her and that was fun.
So what gives today when teens won't eat leftovers, would rather wash one name brand item clothing outfit for five days a week then wear hand me downs or bargain store clothes, opt to leave something dirty and stay on punishment for a whole damn summer rather than just do it and get it done. Get in trouble every time they get out of the house, whine because they don't have a cell phone as everyone else does, but they do have a safe home, food, clothes, entertainment, friends, internet, tv, cable, electricity, airconditioning and heat, gas, transportation, a good neighborhood, education, a parent that will work as much as needed to get them extras they may reallly want, hell...a parent that cares! Meanwhile they are going to tell you how bored they are, and won't have friends over because they don't have all the fun things thier friends have to do at their homes, I don't blame them, for basically the other kids will tell them how boring the house is because they are so used to being "plugged in" all the time. And they have not listened any better to the lessons in manners speeches given to them.
Truly I think I am one of the most easy going parents about, but I do give a damn and I do have reasons for things I say no to for the protection of the kids and for myself. But for some reason because I actually follow through with the "what I concider easy" punishment I delve out for any trouble I have, when other parents give...NONE, I am by my kids friends, the meanest parent about and to be feared. My daughter is mortified because I guess I am the only mom who threatens to call back the boys that call after 11 at night. But when I have to get to work at 7 in the morning, I will be damned if some thug is going to call my daughter at 1 in the morning.
My son wants his licence. He is 17. I want the garbage taken out on time. It is that simple. Somedays I want to scream it all out...and then not so much talk at all. cuzz I think I have many a more years of it to go. OW Lawwrdy!!