NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
Over the years, I’ve heard parents say they consider their child/children to be their best friends. I get it, some parents are close to their children but at no point should a parent ever place their child in the same bracket as a peer. There are too many things that can go wrong with this type of parenting.
I knew a woman who told me and others countless times that her 15-year-old daughter was her best friend and true to her statement, that’s how she treated her until something drastic happened and she tried to reverse her initial thoughts on her style of parenting. See, her daughter no longer felt as if she was a child. As she got older her attitude towards grownups was warped because she saw herself on the same level as teachers, uncles, aunts, and any other senior figure in her life.
What’s Your View On Parenting?
Her grades started to slip, the talking back to her mother begin, and boom, she ended up pregnant at 15. Now, the mom was livid and wanted to scold her but she couldn’t. She had no clue what to do. She always viewed the child as an adult and now that she went out and did adult things, the mom wanted to treat her as a child and punish her. Too late. The damage was done.
This is the issue a lot of parents are facing as they have no clue about proper parenting. You’re the leader and they are there to follow. No matter the age, your kids are supposed to look up to you, not at eye level. I know there are single parents out there who spend oodles of time with their kids and their bonds grow tighter than others. But that still does not justify the fact that your child needs discipline and guidance. Their friends are the ones they are outside playing with or sharing a classroom with, not the ones that brought them into this world.
Parents, we must do better. Society should not tell you how to raise your kids. If you want to spank them, then spank them. But please remember why you are there in the first place. It’s your job to raise, not befriend them.
