What a pity, that we’re raising a generation of egotistical brats, that say and do anything they deem appropriate. Unfortunately, we still have a few adults who refuse to be bullied by these ingrates, and are putting their feet down, one toe at a time.
It was nearly two in the morning, when the telephone rang. Startled, I lifted the receiver from the hook, where I discovered a woman’s voice at the other end of the line. She was talking so loud; her words seem to bounce off the walls.
“I swear these kids act like they’re straight out of hell. They say anything and do anything, and then have the nerve to think they’re smarter than you are." I recognized the voice, it was my co-worker *Jazelle. And based on what she was saying, it was obvious that her 13-year-old granddaughter, *Tiffani, was giving her problems again.
Blinking, to clear my eyes, I accidentally knocked the phone to the floor. Apparently Jazelle, thought I had hung up on her, because the next words I heard were, “Peggy, I know you didn’t hang up on me." Knowing Jazelle like I do, I immediately redialed the number.
Lowering my voice and speaking directly into the receiver, I detected loud breathing. “Lying brat, and now my co-worker is acting like she has her head stuck up her behind," she hissed.
Realizing it was not smart to upset her anymore than she already was; I told Jazelle that I accidentally dropped the phone. Quickly apologizing, she explained why she was so upset.
For five months, every since her daughter dropped off Tiffani at her condo, claiming she had become too unruly to handle, Jazelle had given the girl $25 a week to purchase personal items. Last week, when it came time for her to give Tiffani money, Jazelle told her she would have to wait another week, because she had to have the car serviced.
Jazelle explained to Tiffani, that she would have to wait a full seven days to get her money, that’s when Miss Hot Sauce pitched a fit, and threatened to call HHS (Health and Human Services), and report that Jazelle was abusing her, by deliberately withholding money from her.
“Peggy, she really did a number on me," Jazelle explained. “Then when she got through cursing me, she flew into a tirade about how I wasn’t treating her right, and that I was too strict, because I wouldn’t let her hang out with her thuggish friends." She continued, “At that point, I was so shocked I could only stare at her. She went on and on about how I was keeping her cooped up in the house.
And told me in no uncertain terms, that she wanted to take a walk on the wild side. On and on Tiffani went, cussing and screaming at the top of her lungs. By now, neighbors were pouring out of their homes to see what the commotion was all about.
Peggy at that point I was so angry, I didn’t care what she did or said. I told her since you don’t like my rules, and have no intention of abiding by them, the best thing you can do is pack your rags and get out. Look, you don’t have to call HHS, I will call them myself."
Realizing that she was serious, Jazelle said she snatched the phone from Tiffani’s hand and dialed the number. “I told her since you’re so bad, go ahead and tell them what you want them to know," Jazelle recalled. Stunned, Tiffani told the person on the other end of the line, she was being abused.
The next day two social workers came out. They asked several questions and then talked to Tiffani. The social workers, sensing that Tiffani was lying, quickly left, but not before saying, “Mrs. Kilmer, all Tiffani needs is a little love, and she’ll be fine."
“Peggy, I told them, what Tiffani really needs is a hard swat on the rear end, that should have been given to her years ago by her parents. Looking at each other, the two workers slowly walked to their car.
After pausing between sentences, Jazelle said, “And after all that, do you know what this girl had the nerve to do?" “What Jazelle?" I replied. “When Tiffani came to live with me, I sent her to the beauty salon to have her hair cut and styled. That cost me $50, because her hair was in real bad shape. Too many perms had caused it to fall out in clumps. So, every two weeks, I paid $20 to have her hair shampooed and conditioned.
For five months I spent over $300 on her hair. And yesterday she came home with this frazzled wig on her head. You should have seen her; she had hair flying all over the place. All that money I spent on her hair, and she looked like a Brittney Spears reject."
After calming her down long enough to get a word in, I told Jazelle that she had two choices: she could send Tiffani back to her mother, or she could keep being upset by her. She said that she would make a decision real soon.
A week later, I was again awakened by the sound of the phone, it was Jazelle. She said that she sent Tiffani back to her mom. The reason, during a heated argument, Tiffani threatened to hit her. “That," Jazelle said “was the last straw. I told her it was time to go." Suddenly, the room grew eerily quiet. “I’m hanging up now," said the voice at the other end of the line." Click, the sound was unnerving, and similar to a killer bee in its finality.
I use this story to explain why many of today’s kids are unlike any we’ve ever encountered. They are manipulative, devoid of a conscience, incapable of communicating with adults, and they love to lie. In fact, they lie just to be lying. I guess it feels good to them.
And as Jazelle discovered, the more you do for some kids, the worse they treat you. For example, if you hand them a $20 bill, they don’t even have the decency to say thank you. It’s as if they think you owe them something, or that you’re obligated to make them happy.
Yes, kids say the shattiest things. Moreover, those words have a tendency to hurt the people who love them the most. It is at this point, that you throw up your hands and shout “What a selfish, mean-spirited group, many kids of the 21st century are." But how quickly they forget, what goes around comes around, again and again. Now run and tell that.
P.S. Before any one reading this commentary, point out for the umpteenth time, that spanking breeds violence. Please note, that millions of people were given a swat on the rear ends as kids, and they turned out to be normal adults, with no penchant for murder and mayhem.
*Not their real names
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