ohbloodyhell8

My five-year old came over to the chaise, sat down, and said in that sweet little boy voice, “Mom, you’re the best mom in the world (pause) except when you’re being kinda mean.”

My husband then asked him, “when is Mommy mean?”

“When she uses her angry voice.”

“When does she use her angry voice?”

“When we don’t clean up or do what she tells us to do.”

Yep, I’m a mean mommy.  I am proud to be one.  I make my sons take a bath or shower when they are dirty or stinky or just because.

I make them brush their teeth (“yes, you have to brush more than once a day.”)

I make them go to bed by 8:30 during the school year.  I make them do their homework.  I make them apologize when they need to apologize.  I make them say please, thank you, you’re welcome, and may I….

I make them clean up-true, that’s a tough one and we are working on it, but we’re getting there.  I make them learn about taking care of the earth.  I make them think about other people’s feelings.

I make them go to church.

I make them brush their hair and wash their hands and clean their faces.  I make them put out the recycling and the trash.  I then make them put the cans away.

I make them learn responsibility, work ethic, and what it means to be a friend.  I make them practice patience.

Yep, I’m a mean mommy.  I will continue to be a mean mommy for as long as I need to be one.  I am not a perfect mommy and they are not perfect sons.  But we’ve come a long way and it gets better and better every day.