What do kids think about their parents?

What do kids think about their parents?

March 23, 2013

Last week I heard a survey read on my favorite morning radio show.  One thousand young kids were asked this question, “is your mom perfect?”  Every single child answered, “yes.”  

I had two immediate responses to this: 1) how sweet is that?  and 2)  there is no way they asked 12 year-olds.  

Ironically the very next day my 5 year-old had one of his classic tantrums.  He really is a very good boy, most of the time.  But at night, when he’s tired from a long day, he can get pretty emotional.  And if things don’t go exactly his way on those emotional days, then watch out, here comes a world-class screaming fit.  On this particular night after I sent Ethan to bed with a comment like, “enough, just go to bed.  I don’t even want to hear your voice any more,”  I came into the kitchen and found a note that read “my mom is tarabl.” 

My husband always says “if you don’t laugh, you cry” and at the moment, looking at my son’s attempt at spelling, and thinking about how very hard it is to teach all day and parent all night I wanted to both laugh and cry.  How strange it is that kids can think their parents perfect one moment and then apparently despise them the next.

Alas, my thoughts about kids and parents didn’t stop this day either, because I also had to grade my students’ essays which happened to be on the topic: what makes a good parent? Sure that my 6th graders who are so frequently bitter, sarcastic, and even mean to each other and to me, would have snippity remarks about parenting, I was surprised at some of the things I read.  Here are some of the insights I found amongst the 70 essays I read:

*   “If they seem like they are strange, it’s only because they love you.”

*  “Kids don’t want parents to be boring.”

* “Parents should be funny so they can entertain their families at dinner.”

* “Good parents create good kids.”

* “Being nice can never be overrated.”

* “Parents who are overprotective can be pretty annoying.”

* “It is essential to know how to cook.”

* “A parent that cares will kiss your owies.”

* “If parents give you things, it might encourage you to get better grades and behave better   in school.”

* “Parents feed you for half your life.”

* “When your sister is being a bossy little brat and is hitting you, parents should ground her.”

* “Parents are the most beautiful thing in a kid’s life.”

* “Kids long for love.  Give them that love.”    

    So what’s my conclusion to the question I started with?  What do kids really think about their parents?  It appears that despite all of their grumpiness big kids and little kids really do think highly of their parents.  Even Ethan, when all his storming and raging was over wanted only one thing: to be held by his Mom, now matter how “tarabl” she might be.