One of the Best Punishments You’ll Ever see for a Bad Grade in Math

This story makes me smile in so many ways. As a parent, I swore I would never treat my kids unjustly and unfairly, but it’s one of my favorite parts of parenting. No, I’m not being unfair or unjust in my treatment of them, but they certainly do not see things from my point of view. Being a parent means modeling good behavior, teaching kids morals and ethics and making sure they don’t grow up to be entitled little jerks who think the world should be handed to them on a platter. This means making them responsible for their own actions, letting them know what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable and what consequences their unacceptable actions will face, and then following through with said consequences. Being a parent means making unpopular decisions and being the ‘worst mom EVER,’ sometimes, but it also means being a rock star. My kids will not learn to be little jerks from us, and that’s what this mom did is awesome.

Math – it stinks. I firmly believe in the absolute importance of the subject, but not the actual act of math. I believe kids should be taught the basics, they should learn to balance checkbooks and things of that nature. And I believe difficult math should be saved for kids who choose professions that require math as part of their life (because I have never once needed to use an acute angle to do absolutely ANYTHING in my own life…but some people do need to know this). I was a good student and my kids are good students. It wasn’t an option for me and it’s not one for them. So what’s a mother to do when her daughter brings home a D- in math? Well, she has to do something to encourage her child to apply herself a bit more readily.

So she took her child’s phone and put it in a photo box behind glass with the caption, “In case of “B” Break Glass,” so that her daughter could have her phone back when she raised her grades. It’s become an internet sensation practically overnight. Teachers everywhere are proud of this mom, calling her a hero. But the rest of the internet is giving her a hard time. They’re telling her she’s a bad parent, a bully and that this might be the only calculator her kid has (we’re going to go with no on this one). She’s taking a lot of hate for her decision, and we love it. We LOVE it.

Parenting win – she’s doing it right. I’ll do the same thing if it means teaching my kids the real value of what good grades mean. Kids spend too much time on their electronics and not enough time focusing on their academics and this is what they get – a little hardcore incentive.

Dear Mom,

You are awesome.

Love,

Tiffany – mother of four and future worst mom EVER to my kids

Photo by Imgur