I have to reluctantly admit that I admire the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) at times. For totally different reasons than you might expect. They can do with my daughter things that I was unsuccessful at as a mother. Two examples:
1. Educate her. She dropped out of high school at 10th grade. I couldn't convince her that an education is a good thing. Her principal humiliated her and she wanted nothing to do with school. Ever. Until the army persuaded her that she could go back to studies, under their auspices, and she'll get her high school equivalency that way - with no abusive principals. And now she's in the midst of her studies and is excited to report to me that she is doing wonderfully in Math, History and English but terrible in Geography. For her to be doing wonderfully in any subject is something that the IDF has accomplished and I have failed. Unless she was just ready for learning at her advanced age of 20.
2. Grounding her. Throughout her life, I have been unsuccessful at grounding any of my kids, when they needed to be punished. They would laugh smugly at me, and just either climb out the window or push me out of the way, while marching out the door after I tried grounding them for the usual stuff teens get grounded. I could only shrug and bear it. So with good reason, I felt a tinge of jealousy at the IDF on Thursday when my daughter, who was supposed to be home for the weekend, called to say she wasn't coming because she "had to be at her base."
"What did you do now?" I asked her, knowing that she was in fact "grounded" by the IDF.
"Nothing. It was for something stupid." she answered.
Something stupid? She got grounded for something stupid. And the IDF was successful in grounding her for something stupid? I was green with envy. How do they do that? What is their secret? Is it because they have live ammo that frightens her? Is it jail time for them if they disobey orders? How do they ground my daughter for something stupid when I had trouble grounding my kids for more serious infractions like telling me to go fuck myself? How? Her job in the IDF is shrouded in secrecy. So I may never know their secret for their success.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Grounded
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3 comments:
I can really relate to your "problems". If you can't advance yourself as her mother, then let other people do the 'talking" in your behalf. Just like what happened now in her "base". At least you can now say to yourself, "at last, she felt the meaning of "punished / grounded". Just continue with your life as a good mother and you will see your success..soon.
Yes, it's like let God take care of whatever you cannot do for yourself (from some 12 step thing).
Thank you for believing that I'm a good mother :-)
I wish the USA had a mandatory program like the IDF. It sure would make a lot of spoiled brats grow up.
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