Kids these days

I am a huge fan of The Dr. Phil Show. I don't agree 100% with everything he says, but for the most part he is right on - especially on things that deal with family, marriages, and just dealing with life. I learn something from his show just about every time I watch it. I think what I like the most is that his advice is just so simple. Common sense really, but you would be surprised at the parents that lack good ole common sense. Most people make life harder than it has to be. I sometimes get amazed at how many of the parents come on to get control of their kids. I just don't get that. They have given their children everything that they could ever want and then wonder why the brats are spoilt. They let their children talk to them anyway they choose and wonder why their children don't listen to them. They set no consequences for their actions and don't understand why the brats don't have any regard for authority. I wonder if these parents realize that they are setting their children up for failure in life? I know no parent rocks their sweet little baby with dreams of them growing up and wearing orange suit with shackles on their feet. That sounds crazy, but the truth is, a lot of times that is what they are doing when they don't set rules and boundaries. Proverbs 29:15 says that a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.


Every child needs to be taught the difference between right and wrong. I can't believe the stand some parents take on spanking a child. The Bible instructs parents to spank. The problem comes in with the meaning of spanking. Spanking is NOT abuse. Discipline is done out of love and abuse is done out of anger. HUGE difference. They need to know that certain behavior brings certain consequences.... and that is what is missing. I can't tell you the times I have seen the school try to correct a student and the mother gets involved and basically blames everybody but her child. She blames the teacher, the principal, another student, or whoever else...just not her child. The mother is actually teaching her child that they do not have to respect authority and basically they don't have to be accountable for their actions. Then the kid moves out into the real world and that is where the problems start. Suddenly, they are in a job where they have to be accountable and mama can't come shift the blame.. People don't care to hear all the excuses. If they don't have respect for authority, they might just find themselves handcuffed, tased, or possibly shot.You basically set them up for a hard life.

I wasn't the perfect mom...not by a long shot. I made plenty of mistakes along the way, but some things really are just black and white. Some things are just so wrong that you don't have to think it over. A lot of times my kids didn't understand the word no....but I always told them that one day, I will have to give an account of the way I raised them. I unknowingly made enough mistakes without adding things to the list that I knew were just wrong. Don't get me wrong - parenting is not easy and my personality is to second guess myself and lets face it, kids know how to lay it out thick when they want something. I did sometimes spoil my kids with material things, but I also held them to a high standard. If they lived a A+ lifestyle, then they were rewarded with an A+ benefits. If they had lived a D- lifestyle, they would have gotten the D- benefits. Sometimes, you just have to appeal to their greed. I never tried to be their friend - they had enough of those, they needed a mother. As a result, I later became their friend, but only when the time was right.

I don't think the kids today are the ones with the problems...I think it's their parents.

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:15