Parenting

So lately I've been extremely bored with myself and I've started to watch The Real Housewives of Orange County. Barf, I know. The show annoys me to no end, but at the same time I just can't stop watching. During the latest episode, Lynne has been having serious issues with her rebellious teenager, Alexa. Alexa is that rich kid type of bitch that thinks she can have/do/say whatever the hell she wants. And of course, Lynne is the type of person/mother who doesn't want to step on toes or rock the boat too much. In result, she has this teen queen bitch who never listens to her parents and doesn't take them seriously. Of course, Lynne can't figure out what she's doing wrong. So at a lovely "girls day" get-together of gourmet cooking with professional chefs Lynne finally has a serious breakdown over her parenting hardships. Gretchen, another housewife who happens to not have children, chimes in during this heated discussion and claims "just because you have children doesn't give you the God right to know how to parent". And in return Lynne yells "bullshit"! Tears, yelling, smeared make-up, and booze just don't mix when talking about how to be a parent. But what got me thinking, was Gretchen's comment. Because to me, she is completely right. I know I'm not a parent so I really have no experience in that realm of life, but I've seen a lot and I have been taught a lot. There are so many parents out there who do not cut it. They sell drugs and drink a shitton of alcohol around their kids. There are millions of parents out there who do not set a good example. So yea, just because you pop out a few kiddos doesn't mean you know how to be a parent. It makes you a "parental guardian" in the legal sense, but not everyone, in my mind, knows how to be a mom or a dad. Alexa called Lynne, the mother who gave fuckin birth to her, a bitch. If I ever called my mother that word to her face my ass would have been in deep shit. My life would cease to exist. I grew up with some damn manners. Yea my mouth isn't the greatest and I get in trouble for it sometimes, but if there's one thing I've always done it's show my parents some respect. If I have to be home at a certain time, then I'm five minutes early. If they ask me to do something for them, it gets done no questions asked. I'm no perfect child, let's get that straight. I've challenged my parents and I was pretty stubborn as a kid, but if there's one thing I remember from my adolescence it was to never push it with them. If you did, your ass was in your room. If you talked back, you could say goodbye to that mall trip you had planned with your friends. Even my parents just raising their voices with me was scary. And in Lynne's case, I just don't understand how it's so hard to ground her kid. I can't fathom letting my own child run crazy and then not lay on the consequences of their actions. To me it's pretty simple. If your kid acts out, punish the little fucker. Don't say and then not act. Say and act. Reinforce the fact that you're the parent and he/she is the child. There is no blurry line there. It's just so simple and people make it out to be complicated when I just don't see how it could possibly be that way. Am I wrong here? Am I going to be the bitchiest mother in the world? Of course you want your kids to confide in you and love you, but at the same time you can't be their bff. To me, parents can't give their kids everything they want and then expect nothing in return. This life is not a free ride so why encourage that mentality while they are young?