Meanest Mom on the Planet

There's a story going around on the TV and in newspapers about The Meanest Mom on the Planet. Parent Jane Hambleton had several rules about driving, including a rule pertaining to alcohol, and her son broke one of those rules. As the parent of a 16-year-old driver, we have the same rule in place about alcohol and will sell his car in the proverbial heartbeat if the rule is broken. ABC News The Meanest Mom on the Planet

Hambleton has her critics. A lot of people, some purporting to be parents, say that she was too harsh. I disagree. Every time a drunk driver kills someone, or we learn that someone has multiple DUI's, we moan and groan "why doesn't someone do something????" Yet when a parent does do something, he or she is criticized. For those who criticized Hambleton, may you never be the victim of a drunk driver. Hambleton recognized her responsibility to her son and to society, and she did what a good mama does. Keep the faith! We need more mean parents!

I love parents who are responsible. I also love creative parenting. Check out what one dad did in this story Your Truck is in the Tree, Boy.

Isn't it amazing that an act of responsible parenting is so newsworthy that it is carried on all of the TV stations and written about in newspapers? If responsible parenting is so newsworthy, that should tell us something about the state of parenting today.








* Julie Clark is a freelance writer, and responds to parents' questions at DrDaveStein.com, where she is also the web manager.