Remember when you were growing up and your parents made you do chores and they said no to (what seemed like) everything and you thought they were just being mean? Remember when you’d look at your mom or dad and say, “When I grow up, I’m NEVER gonna make my kids do chores and I’m gonna let them do whatever they want!” I know I did! I also know that as I grew up and matured, I realized how hilarious and outrageous such a statement was. I don’t think everyone in my generation got that memo… I come from a military family and I got my ass busted bare-bottomed with a hand, paddle, and a belt when I was growing up (and I’m only 29, so it’s not like it was ‘way back when’ here). I got grounded – sometimes for WEEKS at a time, I stood in the corner for a LOT longer than 10-15 min, I had privileges taken away when I was bad or brought home a bad grade, the whole 9 yards! I was taught to say sir and ma’am, please and thank you, and that respect in general wasn’t an option. I ate what my mom cooked or I didn’t eat (and guess what I had for breakfast the next morning!). Now, as a grown woman, I think I have the absolute best mother in the entire world. I strive to be half the parent she was/is and so do all 4 of my siblings. I don’t suffer from PTSD, I don’t have any kind of abusive tendencies, I don’t feel like I had a horrible childhood, etc. Our mother IS our best friend… now. Growing up, she was the law and we definitely didn’t like that at the time. I realize now though how important it was for my mom to NOT give into my every demand and to straighten my ass out when I started getting out of line. She was never even remotely abusive, despite what a lot of the morons of today think. She was a loving, dedicated, and strong mother who wanted to make sure her kids would become respectable adults some day. I’ve known how to do laundry and cook since I was 12, I know how too iron my clothes, I can drive a car – automatic or manual, I’m even able to fold fitted sheets!!! (hahaha) Look at me knowing how to be an adult all because my mother made sure it wasn’t even an option! Shame on her, I guess. Now she’s stuck with 5 kids who all DON’T live at home and are worth a damn. In fact, one of my sisters just graduated college with a 3.98 GPA and my brother served in the military and did 3 tours until being medically discharged… but go ahead and tell me again how disciplining your child and actually making them contribute to the household is wrong and abusive… I’ll wait!