There's a pretty amazing video that's gone viral this week. Mac Breedlove is a lacrosse player who was caught cutting the early boarding line to get on a Southwest Airlines flight. When his coaches found out, they made the teenager read out an official apology to all his fellow passengers.
Please, would these coaches write a parenting book? We have enough advice out there about protecting our delicate snowflakes!
What we need more of is parents who will hold their kids accountable for their actions, parents who actually make their kids apologize. It's nice if you're disciplining them when they screw up. But Moms, let me just tell you from experience, it is not enough.
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A few years back, I got one of those calls that makes you embarrassed to ever show your face in the pick-up line again. My daughter bit a kid. I was mortified. My kid is NOT supposed to be the kid who the teacher calls home about, OK? But it had to be dealt with. She lost movie night with the family, and we had a very long talk about why we don't hurt other people.
I could have left it at that. But I didn't really know if she GOT how serious this was. So I made her write letters to both the little girl and her teacher (OK, I made her dictate them and then put her signature on them ... she was only 4 at the time). Then I made her hand them over face-to-face to the people she'd harmed.
She was probably as mortified as I was when I got the call. And it was just enough shame -- without rubbing her nose in it -- to really drive this one home. We don't go all Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield on our friends. She hasn't bitten anyone since.
On the flip side, she's never gotten an apology of any sort from the kid who kicked sand in her face on the first day of kindergarten. And wouldn't you know this same kid has been the one who has hurt her again and again and again? Because no one has ever made him face up to what he did wrong.
I'm not saying I always do things right as a mom, but this is one thing I'm pretty firm on. If you screw up, you don't get to run away from it.
Here's betting Mac Breedlove never cuts a line again. Check out his apology:
What do you think about making kids do an apology like this? Too much or just enough?
Image via kpailes/YouTube
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Comments 14
I think this is perfect! There is a picture going around Facebook right now of a teenage girl whose parents posted a photo of her holding a sign that says "Since I want to post photos of me holding liquor, I am obviously NOT ready for social media and will be taking a hiatus until I learn what I should and should not post."
Sometimes coaches and teachers have more sway over children than their own parents. If I had a group of my students on a plane and one of them was disruptive I would do the same thing. Coaches realize that the poor behavior of one reflects poorly on the whole organization, and no one wants their organization to be poorly represented in public.
I couldn't agree more
I think it would have been better if the boy had written the speech himself and then said it as they were in flight or getting off, but I think he was embarassed enough at having to stand in front of everyone and admit he was wrong, so I think he learned his lesson. Usually I am not one for humilation-based punishments, but I don't think having to apologize for a lack of manners is that bad. Good on his coaches for calling him out on it.
That was perfect. Its something that he will remeber forever and make him think twice before he does something like that agian.
Did any of you notice that the writer geared that statement more towards mom's and not dad's. Us moms hold our kids accountable more often than not. Well at least I do. I can't speak for anyone else, but my kids will apologize when they are out of line.
Awesome, I wish more parents and people would make their children take responsibility for their actions. My stepfather would let his son get away with murder, he calls his parents fat asses, he curses like a sailor then talks like a little baby when he wants something and gets away scott free, and I don't even want to know what kind of man he will turn out to be. When I was a kid if I ever tried any of that crap I was grounded , I went to school and as soon as school was over I was back in my room with nothing but a book, no friends no tv, no nothing. It disgusts me what parents let their kids get away with, there needs to be a major change.