Here's the thing about parenting. Some of the things we do because we love our kids so darn much is the very stuff that makes the ungrateful little twerps hate us. And this is where two groups of parents diverge in the wood, so to speak. Most of us just grin and bear the teenagers' angsty attitudes. And there's Tommy Jordan, dad of 15-year-old Hannah, who took the road less traveled.
The North Carolina father printed out his daughter's 'tude-filled diatribe about how much she hates her parents from her Facebook page and decided to make a YouTube video to set her straight. He read her entire rant about how unfair her life is (sooooob) and explained one by one, why her parents' expectations that she pitch in around the house are part of being a member of the family. And then things got really interesting.
If you want the really good stuff, you can jump to around the 7:15 mark, but you'll miss a lot of good stuff along the way:
See this video on The Stir by CafeMom.
Way to go Dad! Can I get this dude's autograph? He needs to be out there doing discipline workshops for the mamby pamby parents who are too scared to actually tell their kids no! I especially like uploading this to her Facebook page to scare the other kids -- nice touch!
I mean, I probably wouldn't have taken a gun to my kid's laptop (I would have kept the thing for myself or given it to a teen in the community who doesn't have the funds to buy something so nice). And I would have appreciated it if he could actually put the cigarette down (!), but I need to bookmark this video to rewatch the next time I want to give in on one of my 6-year-old's meltdowns because I'm afraid of coming off like a meanie. Desperate times call for desperate measures!
By the time your kids are in the teen years, they are well on their way to adulthood. How teenagers act is a sign of what kind of adult they're going to be. You only have so many years left to set them straight. And if a kid is thinking like Hannah, she (or he), NEEDS to be set straight.
Sorry kids, but doing chores around your own home is not slavery (although I should note there are parents who take it way too far, the described chores in this video sound pretty tame). Chores are a way of teaching kids teamwork and responsibility. They're part of contributing to a household in preparation for contributing to society. Good parents give their kids chores!
And good parents deserve their kids' respect just as much as their love. But sometimes we have to remember that respect has to be earned. We shouldn't be afraid to show our strong side.
Would you do anything Tommy Jordan did?
Image via alornmage/YouTube