Unknown to a lot of parents is the dreaded day of I hate you! Said in a venomous voice from a being that you created.

Being an active parent, and this means boots on the ground when your child is losing their shit due to puberty, hormones, and bullies at school. You have to be the strength they need, it isn’t always pretty and kids can be rough, especially rough to the one they love.

Being an active parent to an adult child who is going through something, is also not the easiest of things to do either. You are watching a person come apart because in life we do come apart when great change is necessary.

Its not anymore fun hearing harsh words out of your adult child’s face, than it was your puberty fueled adolescent’s disrespectful mouth.

Every adult goes through the stages of growth on the way to wisdom, that’s of course if wisdom is on the menu, but for most people growth is inevitable. And then your children have children. And we parents hope growth is inevitable. And the stages of growth are sometimes marked by harsh words said by those we love in the heat of their transformation.

Watching your children grow up is horrifying and watching them parent is not easy and when they falter you will want to jump in and then hopefully you will hear the magic words, fuck off MOM, harsh yes, necessary hell yes.

To be able to parent is to be the bad guy when needed. To say the words that need to be said during the worst of personal storms. To withstand that storm just like an oak tree. If your kids aren’t saying step back I’ve got this, in the form of fuck off, then get to work and make a strong human out of your kids.

It’s a harsh world out there! If you can’t take criticism then neither can they!

Daily writing prompt

What was the best compliment you’ve received?

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