Mean Mums?

Are you a mean mum? That sounds like an awful thing to ask doesn't it? After reading this, I hope you'll be proud to admit to being a mean mum, just as I am! This morning on the radio the announcer read out this text. I thought it was really good, and wanted to share it with you all today. The photo's are of One True Love, Precious Princess, and Cottage Contessa, all as babies raised proudly by "mean mums".

Mean Mums..........

Someday when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them, as my Mean Mum 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 no good.

I loved you enough to stand over you for 2 hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15minutes.

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 the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties 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'm glad 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 the meanest mother in the whole world!

While other kids ate lollies for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs & toast.

When other kids had a soft drink and cake for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches.

And can you guess that our mother fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids ate too, like vegetables!

Mum insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison. She had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them. She insisted that if we said 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 Child Labour 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 all sorts of cruel jobs. I think she would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do. She always insisted on telling us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

By the time we were teenagers, she could read our minds and had eyes at the back of her head. Then, life was really tough! Mum wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them. Because of our mother we missed out on lots of things that other kids experienced. None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property, 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 mean parents just like mum was. I think that is what's wrong with the world today. It doesn't have enough mean mums!

After reading that, I ask you again. Are you a mean mum too?