My darling daughter, oh how you test me! You push every single button and push it perfectly! You push me right to the edge and the moment before I burst a blood vessel you flash that winning smile and my rage increases exponentially! You know you are adorable and you know that you can get away with murder. But since I am your mother, the person whose job it is to raise you not to be a little shit I will take a deep breath…or 10 and as calmly as humanly possible, tell you to knock it off because “you are not an animal” or that “I swear to God you will go to bed with no story.” 

I hate to do this to you but you have become such an obstinate little panda that I must. I feel that many of issues today stem from parents trying to be their child’s friend. “I can’t yell at them, that are too cute!” Or “how can you be so mean and punish them?” Ummm because I am the parent, not their friend!!! I will punish, reprimand and scold my children when they are wrong or out of line but I will also teach, support and praise my children when they soar or accomplish great things. 

My main job on this earth is to ensure that my progeny grow up to be useful and productive members of society. If that means I have to put you in time out when you refuse to apologize for hitting your father in the face, so be it. If I have to put you to bed with no story because you threw the book at my head, I will. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure you are polite, kind, caring and respectful to the people around you. And I pray every night that I can. So when you are wailing because I threw your milk away after you poured all over table AFTER you watched me clean the already spilled milk, know that I am doing it for your own good and because I love you. (Man, I never thought I would say that, but then again, I guess all woman turn into their mothers when they have children…love you mom!)