Should parents go on strike to teach their kids a lesson?

[phreezee]

How bad of a parent do you have to be to let it get to this point? And yet she's making talk show rounds and receiving global praise?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity...n.html?cmp=rss

When Calgary working mom Jessica Stilwell got fed up with cleaning up after her three very messy daughters, she did what most parents wish they could do - she went on strike.

Stilwell, who is a social worker, went on strike on Oct. 1, not just out of frustration, but with the aim of instilling in her daughters, Olivia, Quinn and Peyton, the importance of hard work.

"I was setting them up for failure," she wrote on her blog called Crazy Working Mom. Jessica Stilwell speaks about her "strike" on the Today show. (Today show/NBC) "I fear we are raising a generation of young people whose attitudes will be 'What are you going to do for me?' Well dude, it's called a paycheck, get your ass to work. I want to end this parenting race with employable, successful, well-rounded happy adults with real life skills."

As the dishes piled up, crusted with dried remnants of dinner, and dirty clothes lined the hallways of her normally pristine home, Stilwell documented the resulting domestic chaos on Facebook and her blog. "Olivia held a glass of 'milk' UPSIDE DOWN and announced 'Look mom, we made cheese!!' I laughed and laughed and laughed. No I didn't. But I sure as hell giggled when she was dry heaving over the sink as she tried to clean it," she wrote.

Her children were exasperated and complaining that they were not able to have their friends over, out of embarrassment, Stilwell wrote.

"Olivia told me this was the 'Dumbest thing ever!! Kids have parents for a reason, to clean up after them'. I almost spit my wine out at that one," she blogged. Stillwell's "strike" struck a chord with parents globally, many of whom praised her as their hero. The glass of upside-down congealed milk. (strikingmom.blogspot.ca)

Her blog has attracted international attention, and she is making the rounds on the U.S. talk show circuit. She has already appeared on the Today show and is scheduled to speak with Katie Couric on Friday. And, perhaps the best result of all, it seems to have worked. By day six, Stilwell's children turned on each other, and then caved, she wrote. "The Strike is over ... All three of them apologized and did thank me for what I do," she said.

[JRSC00LUDE]

I don't see where bad parenting comes in to be honest. However, the fact that she's a social worker pretty much makes me assume she is also an idiot and likely lacking in proper life skills which makes it somewhat hard to hand them down to her kids.

[86max]

How is she a bad parent? She taught her kids a valuable lesson without harming them in any way. I'm sure every generation says the same thing, but parents are way too slack with their kids these days, nice to see this sort of thing for a change.

[phreezee]

Should have been starting at a young age, not let it get too a boiling point like this. Like teaching them to put away their toys, rinse dishes, put things in the trash, etc.

I agree with putting an end to the behaviour, but the conclusion of her strike was due to the kids acknowledging her and thanking her. Not with everyone now going to learn how to take care of themselves. Just an attention whore IMO.

[Tik-Tok]

She's a bad parent because she her KIDS get to that point. You don't think they became snot nosed little shits on their own, do you?

[revelations]

Im guessing mom wears the pants in the family.

[ercchry]

isnt striking the opposite of instilling hard work?

but really... she already failed when she felt like she had to "strike"

[clem24]

My question is.. Where's the dad?

[86max]

Originally posted by Tik-Tok
She's a bad parent because she her KIDS get to that point.

Yea I suppose a lot of bad parenting let it get that bad, but at least it seems she's cleaned up her act and made a step towards fixing it.

[Feruk]

What a joke. The only "striking" she should be doing is a good old fashioned spanking. Instead she let her house turn into a disgusting shithole. This should be titled "Mom can't discipline kids, lets house turn into a slum, and expects kids to pick up the mess she allowed."

/pathetic

[hampstor]

Despite a pretty extreme way of trying to teach her 10 and 12 year old how to clean up after themselves - if it works, what is the big deal?

Better late than never to learn how to clean up after yourself.

[btimbit]

Decent idea I think but the fact that her shithead kids got that bad in the first place is the bigger issue. Teach them right from the start and this wouldn't have had to happen.

[M.alex]

That sounds like child abuse - brb, reporting her to the authorities.

[codetrap]

This makes me so glad that I taught my daughter as soon as she could understand basic instructions to help me clean up. Now, at 4, she's friggin awesome. I can ask her to go clean up her room so I can vacuum, and she'll do it, properly. Then she'll help me vacuum, and WANTS to do all the windows.

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE
However, the fact that she's a social worker pretty much makes me assume she is also an idiot and likely lacking in proper life skills which makes it somewhat hard to hand them down to her kids.

What a silly comment.

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE
However, the fact that she's a social worker pretty much makes me assume she is also an idiot and likely lacking in proper life skills

What a silly comment.

[JRSC00LUDE]

[originally posted by D. Dub [/i]
What a silly comment.

Meh. I've never met one or known anyone who became one who has ever made me feel different. Certain jobs attract certain personality types. Whatever.

[aaronzaski]

What a horrible wife and mother.