Mean Mums Someday when my children are old enough tounderstand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mum told me: I loved youenough . . . to ask where you were going, with whom,and what time you would be home.I loved you enough to be silent and let youdiscover that your new best friend was a creep. I loved you enough to stand over you for two hourswhile you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes. I loved you enough to let you see anger,disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.I loved you enough to let you assume theresponsibility for your actions even when thepenalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.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'mglad I won them, because in the end you won, too.And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.Was your Mum mean? I know mine was. We had themeanest mother in the whole world! While other kidsate sweets for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast. When others had a Pepsi and a Twix for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that wasdifferent 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. Shehad to know who our friends were, and what we weredoing with them. She insisted that if we said wewould be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less. We were ashamed to admit it, but she had the nerveto break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. Wehad to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn tocook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the rubbish and all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lieawake at night thinking of more things for us to do.She always insisted on us telling the truth, thewhole truth, and nothing but the truth. By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes in the back of her head. Then, life was really tough! Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk the hornwhen they drove up. They had to come up to the doorso she could meet them. While everyone else coulddate when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16. Because of our mother we missed out on lots ofthings other kids experienced. None of us have everbeen caught shoplifting, vandalising other'sproperty or 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 meanparents just like Mum was.I think that is what's wrong with the world today.It just doesn't have enough mean mums!                                                                                                                                                                             

 Fantastic!!                                                                                                                                                                              

Cheers FR mate!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Just like my Mum and now, just like me!   Mini me threatens to call childline every time I say he's NOT having a Mars bar for breakfast!                                                                                                                                                                              

Perfect!! I have e-mailed that to all my girl friends... and my Mum!!                                                                                                                                                                              

stop it, I like it...                                                                                                                                                                             

Bless you all....                                                                                                                                                                             

Excellent bk ! And so true lol- i am told i'm mean quite often! My mum was mean too!   Lol@ Diane!...i have even phoned the childline number for my son and handed it to him, he went off with phone and i said well? what did they say? my son said they were...busy ... lol ! all because i wouldnt let him go on a bus with his mates to a skatepark in another town...he's 10  !   going to have to send that post to my girlfriends too- nice one!                                                                                                                                                                             

very gud, im often told im evil, they hate me and im threatened with phone calls to social services often oh and my 5 yr old is doin the runnin away from home thing- i think it was over biscuits lol                                                                                                                                                                              

on the subject of kids they are startin early!my friends girl aged only eight didnt want to go to school because the boys were organisin fights to see who was goin to be her boyfriend!!!!dont recall wantin girls till about 15 i was to busy playin with meccano and dinky toys[no jokes please]an out on me bike an makin go carts  no internet porn no stupid soaps promotin child datin no grange hill promotin shannagins!!then i found a stash of old black n white spic an span soft porn mags someone had thrown away!then with the help of the girl next door that was it i was away innocence gone!but i am glad i had a long childhood an dont envy any kids today!

So true TM60, kids today don't have our carefree childhoods.  I didn't have my first date until I was 17...my mates were my first port of call, anyway I was too busy with bikes, messing about with bikes with a group of friends, sad but its true, I had bike posters all over my bedroom, there wasnt a teen boy band or heartthrob in sight!   With my girls, I have sort of kept the magic going and allowing them to grow up in their own time.  My nearly 12yr old believed in Santa up to recently and didnt care less what her friends said. Their lives are too busy nowadays.  Children deserve a little magic...Too many of their friends are like mini adults, so manipulative, power crazy and so materialistic...My girls definitely have their feet firmly on the ground and are little girls still...                                                                                                                                                                             

I must be a mean dad - my 4 kids (aged 14, 16, 18 and 26) have been brought up being treated firmly but fairly and none of them has ever given me, or either of their mum's, any real cause for worry or concern.
                                                                                                                                                                             

Bless you Daytona Man there should be more Mean Dads about... Anyone else a Mean Dad then?                                                                                                                                                                             

  Our Dad was real 'mean' he worked away from home a lot so he was the 'unknown quantity' that my sis and I didn't know how far we could push. Our mum would say, when we'd rattled her cage too hard, 'Wait til your Father gets home!' That was enough for us, we soon turned Angelic lol. Dad was strict and he only had to point his finger at me and I would start trembling and tears well up in my eyes. For all his discipline he was a good-hearted man, firm but fair.   Right now I'd give anything for a hug with him.                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Just wish I had a proper father figure for my girls...they do miss out...My own Dad has never been a positive role model either                                                                                                                                                                             

same as biker chick  my kids often ask me to find a boyfriend who will take them out and do dad things with them bnut there u go they have to make do with evil old me lol                                                                                                                                                                              

Mind you Bettyboop, listening to all my friends, wonder who really has the worse deal??? Them or us...at least I can go anywhere where I want when I want do what I want...The girls are certainly well travelled and seen so many things in this country alone....they loved the neolithic stone circles we visited earlier in year...Averbury, Rollright and of course StoneHenge...how many times have we been to London in a year...a lot...   To be honest Im not looking for a father for my children, but it would have been nice for them to have SOME of the happy times that can be shared...especially at Christmas....it will be me and them again, but this year at my Aunts...(they are already wondering how Santa is going to deliver over there???)