locus_ofcontro | I had one....

Mean old Mom

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic thatmotivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:

I loved you enough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had takenand tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears inmy eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for youractions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke myheart.

But most of all, I loved you enough . . to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them,because in the end you won, too. And someday when your children are oldenough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tellthem.

Was your Mom mean? I know mine was. We had the meanestmother in the whole world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, wehad to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and aTwinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess ourmother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had,too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times.You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who ourfriends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if wesaid we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerve to break the ChildLabor Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds,learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and allsorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking ofmore things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling thetruth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we wereteenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of herhead. Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let ourfriends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up tothe door so she could meet them. While every one else could date whenthey were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16.

Because ofour mother we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced. Noneof us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's propertyor ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults. We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It just doesn't have enough mean moms!