Monday, April 5, 2010

How Tough Is Your Love?

The other day I was explaining to my kids what tough love is.

I told them about my friend Steve, whose mom kicked him out of the house when he was sixteen for something so terrible he never would tell me what it was.

But anyway Steve called me from the YMCA one day and asked if I could bring him some groceries. Things that didn't need to be refrigerated because he didn't have a fridge.

Now as a mom I know that Steve's mom's heart was breaking.

My kids asked if I would ever kick them out of the house. "If you ever did drugs in here then yes, I would kick you out," I said.

Audrey looked shocked. She looked at my husband.

I looked at my husband.

He smiled.

So I said what all of us were thinking.

"But don't worry, Daddy would come pick you up from the YMCA a couple of hours later."

2 comments:

Sarah said...

LOL! My parents are the opposite - my dad does the tough love and my mum's the softie.

Melanie Gao said...

I think it takes both kinds of parents to raise a kid. I hope mine turn out as well-grounded as you are Sarah. :)