Inmates Running the Asylum

When I was a kid, I definitely knew what my place was. Sure – I was “mouthy and sarcastic” according to my Mom – but I certainly lived with a respectable level of fear about my parents. If it was a choice between the cops and my parents? I’d rather have the cops. Ask siblings 2 and 3 in my family…I was on the receiving end of A LOT of parental discipline due to my mouth and actions. And yes, much to the chagrin of some of my relatives there was spanking. But in hindsight, that was clearly a last resort on my parent’s part.

One of the things I used to hear from my Mom was “You don’t think I know what you’re up to? Everything you’ve done, I’ve done. I know what you’re up to.” And for the most part is was true.

Maybe.

With my husband and a good number of my friends working as educators, I get first hand information on the uphill battle they wage in the classroom over the school year. Many in my social circle regale me with tales of super tantrums and spoiled rotten nieces and nephews. And add to this the recent “Fab Five” cheerleading scandal at McKinney North High School in Dallas, Texas, I can concur that kids today are just like me when I was growing up.

Well, we’d be alike if I had posted pictures on my MySpace of me and my friends in the local condom store simulating something that would be considered in ALL circles as an act sexual in nature.

What the hell happened to DISCIPLINE?! And moreover, what happened to the supposed authority figures? You may remember who they are…ADULTS? In the aforementioned cheerleading scandal, after I picked myself off of the floor reading about the condom store picture, my jaw hit the ground again when I read about their further escapades. These five “Mean Girls” pretty much had the run of their high school. They cussed out their teachers. They stole their coach’s cell phone and sent sexually explicit messages to her husband and another coach. Their behavior was described by many to be “bawdy” and “raunchy.” And each time they acted up, the call for discipline would be shot down.

It got so bad that the school district spent $40,000 to investigate the claims. This resulted in the resignation of Principal Linda Theret, the possible removal of the school’s Assistant Principal, the girls either quitting or getting kicked off the team, and much of the country scratching their heads wondering “How’d it get this far?”

What disturbed me the most was that one of the girls said in a recent interview, that if the Fab Five’s behavior was a problem, “Why didn’t they take it up with us when we were freshman?” She felt that it wasn’t fair that all of a sudden, now that they were seniors, their behavior was labeling them as “horrible girls.”

How funny is it that the kid nailed it on the head? Why did this become a problem FOUR YEARS after they started? How did it become suddenly okay for teens to act out so publicly and without repercussion. Many involved in the case point to Principal Theret, who not only is the principal of McKinney North, but the MOTHER of the Fab Five’s ringleader.

I don’t know about you – but the first HINT of trouble would have spurred my Mom to action. I would have done significantly LESS than those girls and I guarantee you that my ass and a belt would have become quite good friends. This is the same woman who always said, “When I promise you something….YOU WILL GET IT.” Shoot. I still get crap for things I did when I was 16.

But back to the point: Why are parents today afraid to discipline their kids? When I grew up, there were consequences to my actions. Time and time again, I have to shake my head because there are a lot of parents out there who let their kids run wild, leaving other authority figures who have to work with them powerless to modify or regulate their behavior.

Case in point: Earlier in Lenny’s tenure as a high school teacher, he was herding his kids back from an assembly. He noted that one of his charges (a girl he’d had issues with before) had ditched his class. Per his class and school policy, he notified the parent by phone regarding the truancy. The father’s response to the matter?

“As long as she’s not doing drugs or having sex, I don’t care what she does at school.”

GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Who gave the keys to the asylum to the inmates? It saddens me to see it happen all the time. It amazes me the way young children and teenagers treat authority figures. But it doesn’t surprise me. No rules, no consequences, no problem!

I normally am not into reality shows like “Super Nanny.” But if there is one thing that show proves to me it’s this: Discipline starts at home. But parents don’t want to parent, their instinct nowadays is to overprotect. Parents need to take control back. We may joke about “Little Terrors” and “Problem Children,” but those kids turn into cheerleaders in a condom store.

I am not a parent. At this present time, I don’t foresee becoming one. So, I know that my advice on this subject is probably unwanted. But let me tell you the basic rule of child rearing I picked up from my family. Your children and their behavior is a reflection of you as a parent. You may be willing to put up with your kid being verbally abusive to you – but society won’t be as forgiving.

Do you really want to be the parent of a “Fab Fiver?” I’m sure if it were your kid…you’d be SO PROUD.