Parents, don't be mean to your kids. It's pretty clear but many parents don't get it. They do things that, to the parents, are not cruel or hurtful but they don't have a blessed clue what the kid thinks. Sure, you go ahead and demand respect and slap the kid if they don't give it - that'll improve your relationship and get the kid to act properly. And if you believe that, I'd like to sell you some invisible clothes that will make you the most chic you've ever been.
I just met with a family that appears to want the best for their pre-teen kid but they're too focused on themselves to work at what's causing the kid to act up, make false allegations and be disrespectful. No matter how old you are and whether or not you're a parent, you only get respect if you give it. It's that simple. You can demand it but don't be shocked when you don't get it.
My sister just told me that she is going to the cottage in Barry's Bay during the same week that I am - with her forty-year-old live-in boyfriend. My sister is twenty-three. Oh joy, oh bliss. Egads, how I wish she wasn't going up there. All I wanted was one week of peace, away from the family tripe. But no, it must continue. Please pray for me.