Kid Zone! Stop! Rated Decent!

"Teach not thy lip such Scorn, for it is made for Kissing, lady, not for such Contempt."

-William Shakespeare

I love mothers and I have had the best in my life. From my grandma, to my mum, to my aunts, and their friends. Even at my age, the ones left here on this earth are still setting the best examples for me, my sibblings, and my countless relations. Between all of them, I have had the greatest experience of being mothered and know that there are many out there like them. It is true that no one has the go-to guide book for this precious and holy role on earth, and that every mother is doing the best they can to raise kids in these uncertain times but, there are certain things that are  "No-Nos" when it comes to mothering.

This is what I mean; a mum on the CTA redline mouthing off to her daughter with words such as "f$%#ing hit you on the head." Really?! Lady?! Are you "effing" kidding me?! The most notable fact of this encounter for me was the child's demeanor. Calm, albeit embarrassed. Cool tone, respectful of the fact that you are, dare I say it? "Mum." This kid scores A+ for the way she handled your tirade, though you tried to lower your voice. Stop! "Mum!" This is no way to treat your child in public!

I am aware that kids can be exasperating to the point where mothers are pushed to kill their kids, literally, and statistics show that these things happen. I also acknowledge the fact that I do not know the whole story of what brings this about but, I do know that in this particular moment, your language was uncalled for. So you paid over $100.00 for the "stupid" head-phones for your daughter's iPod and now it's broken. Nothing she said indicated that she took it for granted you had to buy her another one. All she said was, "I don't know what's wrong with my head-set, I can't hear anything." Then off you went on her as if she made a demand on you for a new one.

Sure you took a look at it and couldn't figure it out. You are not supposed to, you know why? If your daughter who is a teenager and knows more about these devices than you would ever know in the next 10 years doesn't know what happened to her head-set? Then you, dearest "mum," have no chance of having the slightest clue about the problem. Why go off on her the way you did, and in a public place? I am not writing this to judge you, or to tell you how to talk to your kid. I am writing this to let you know that the language you used to express your frustration in knowing the defective device means buying another one is socially unacceptable, even in your home.

I could go on and on but, here's a well known fact relayed last night on ABC's Desperate Housewives, "it takes a monster to raise a monster." You may say that this line has to do with extreme circumstances and has no correlation with your actions towards your kid but, think about this for a minute. Do you want your child to grow up to be that person that uses such foul language when interacting with her friends, her own kids, and everyone else she comes in contact with in her life? No, I don't think so because I believe you want the "best" for your child and that the "best," also includes her relationships with others.

So, "mum," do me a favor will you? Change your language and make it decent not just for your kid but , for other relationships you have going on because kids learn from everything you do. Kids observe with such keen interest and everything you do sets examples for how they conduct themselves in the future; only the lucky few are able to step away from the bad and the ugly, and stay with the good. I repeat, you want the very "best" for your kid.

In honor of the upcoming Mothers' Day, Happy Mothers' Day to you, and all the great "mums" out there! God Bless you and may He continue to guide you, strenghten you, and hold you as you continue to do your very "best" in this "self-assigned" role as Mothers!