A mother of three teenagers, Jeanette Tapley, 38, recently shared a video outlining the “strict rules” she has set up for her children. While the viral video resonated with parents, many teenagers online were quick to label her as “the meanest mom.”
Outlining the rules, Mrs. Tapley clarifies that they can be lenient in enforcing them, depending on the situation.
The Response
Talking about the viral video, Mrs. Tapley notes that many of the comments were positive and encouraging, but she often found herself defending her points against teenagers who said her rules were too strict at best and that she was a “horrible mom” at worst.“There’s been some really great conversations that I’ve gotten to have with other parents and with some teenagers,” Mrs. Tapley told the Epoch Times.
Though many acknowledged that they had the same or even more strict rules in their homes, this did not stop an onslaught of angry teenagers commenting that they would run away if she was their mom, or that they would put her in a nursing home.
The most common negative response was that creating “strict” rules for her children would just lead to them learning how to be sneaky enough to get away with the rules.
“My response to that is that when you have boundaries up around you, even as adults, we’re going to push against the boundaries a little bit just to see where we’re safe,” she said. “I don’t necessarily agree with the ‘strict parents equals sneaky kids’; I think kids want to test boundaries.”
‘I’m Raising My Future Friends’
Mrs. Tapley firmly believes that relationships are key. She spends a significant amount of time fostering powerful bonds with her children.“Within our four walls, it’s very apparent that we have so much mutual respect, respect for one another—I’m raising my future friends,” she said, adding that their faith and the way they talk to each other play a “huge part” in that.
Needless to say, her children have been quick to come to their mom’s defense when they found her somewhat overwhelmed by the negative comments.
“There’s been times where I’m like ‘I cannot read another comment telling me, I’m a bad mom,’” she said.
Speaking of her children, Mrs. Tapley said, “They are so quick to remind me that these people don’t know us. They don’t know our family; they don’t know our dynamic. They don’t know me personally. And so, they’re really quick to affirm and to live on.”
Despite the vitriol and hate she has received, Mrs. Tapley understands that she is doing what is right for her family. She says it’s important to not let society set the standard for what she should do as a mother, as parents, their “biggest goal” is to raise humans who love God and who will be “responsible, kind adults.”
“No matter what, as parents, I believe our job is to keep our kids safe. It’s our job to keep them on the road. And if they go off the road, if they go off the path, it’s our job to go back, get them, and love them back onto the road—and that’s just how we do things in our family,” she said.
