…. selfish teenagers. I’ve had it up to here! *waves hand above head* Now, I realize that the words “selfish” and “teenager” are, in many respects, synonymous, but there is a boundary to what is “expected” and what is absolutely unacceptable!

It is absolutely unacceptable for my nephew not to visit his own mother in the hospital until the THIRD day she was there! What’s worse is, he didn’t even pick up a phone to call her, either! My sister made me promise not to say anything to him, which was very hard for me! My other sister, on the other hand, made no such promise, and ended up calling him last night and let him have it!

I have a niece just like that, too. Both of my sisters each have only one child, and I don’t know if some of their behavior and mindsets were partly born from being spoiled and coddled or what, but I’m sick of it! Believe me, I’ve had words with both my niece and nephew more than once, and I’m sure it will happen again in the future. I have very definite opinions when it comes to parenting and have, in the past with my own children, had to tow the hard line. It’s the hardest thing to do as a parent, but one of the most necessary. It’s an extremely fine line one walks as a parent — a tightrope walk, actually — between parenting and friendship, but the bottom line is always that they need parents — they already have friends. Friendship comes later after they’re grown; while they’re growing, they need a teacher, an example, support and guidance.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever done as a parent is making my oldest son leave the house when he was 17, but it was necessary. Now he’s 24, a fine young man with a good job, a lovely wife, and never, ever misses an opportunity to let us know how much he appreciates and loves us. Those years were difficult, but the payoff is immense! It may be years in coming, but it comes.

So, to end this rant, let me offer some unsolicited advice to you parents of young children:

It’s okay to say NO to your kids.

It’s okay NOT to give your child what every other child has.

It’s okay to be a hardass.

It’s okay if your child says they hate you — they don’t mean it, and it doesn’t last.

It is not our job as parents to spoil our children with material things so that they “fit in”. Oh sure, some of it’s okay, but not if your trying to “keep up” or “one-up”.

Our job as parents — no, our RESPONSIBILITY — is to raise our children in a way so that when they are grown they are productive, responsible, caring, generous, compassionate, open-minded, tolerant, loving, ambitious young men and women, NOT a generation of people who think the world revolves around them and owes them whatever they want!!

WHEW! Okay, I feel a little better now. Thanks for listening to me scream. ;)