Steven Miner II and his sister Kathryn Miner sued their
parents for emotional distress. Siblings that grew up in a 1.5 million dollar
home, cited egregious parenting faux pas against their mother such as annoyingly
calling Kathryn at midnight when she had not returned home for the night, as
well as failure to send money/care packages to Steven while he was away at college.
Clearly - Emotional distress.
And they are not the only ones to try this. It’s become
quite the regular occurrence that kids feel they have the right to fight back
against a mom or dad who didn’t meet their expectations.
Sadly, I too was subjected to grandiose emotional distress
by Brant and Sue Carrol.
Many family dinners growing up consisted of (brace yourself for this) liver and/or
lima beans.
I was beaten mercilessly in a charade they called spanking,
and incarcerated in my room like a common criminal in the barbaric practice of
grounding.
I was forced into child labour, cutting lawns, stacking the
wood pile and even was subjected to scalding hot water in a vain attempt to
have clean dishes.
Brant and Sue - you will be hearing from my lawyer.
Actually I am thankful I had parents who cared enough to
teach me that life was not all about me, and that there were real consequences
for my actions.
Sure I knew I had rights. I also knew I had
responsibilities.
I had a role to play as a respectful child. I needed to be a
good student, a good teammate, and a good citizen. Sometimes that might mean
sacrificing one of my rights, for the benefit of others around me of others.
I wouldn’t always get my favourite meal.
My peers might receive preferential treatment over me.
There were times when I was punished for something that was
a collaborative effort of all of my siblings and I.
My rights were potentially violated.
Actually, we find that the occasional violation of an
individual’s rights can be the foundation for the success of a society.
I am thankful for those who gave up their right to peace and
long life to fight in war to ensure Canada remains a free country.
I am thankful to my coaches who volunteered hrs they didn’t
have to, and endured my egocentric attitude assuming I knew more than they did,
so I could be a successful athlete.
Looking back at my childhood now, through the lens of a
parent, I am thankful that my parents followed through on consequences and
punishments, and gave up their right to a peaceful home, so I would learn and
grow.
Too often, the rights of the individual, stand in the way of
the success of the group.
Your voice counts, but it doesn’t always need to be heard.
You’re important, but you should be considered last sometimes.
You have rights. But enacting your right and infringing upon
the good of your family, your community, or really anyone whom you share earth
with, just isn’t worth it.
You do indeed have rights.
So does your neighbour. And your brother.
If we commit to work on our responsibilities to each other, every
last one of our rights will be met.
Comments
Post a Comment