Today, I’m delighted to present this thought-provoking guest post from Doug Martin. A father to two young boys, Doug is constantly on the lookout for alternative parenting styles that just might work on his rambunctious little rascals. When not reading about strange parenting stories on the net, he’s making his own, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife, Hannah. Here’s his take on one of this season’s top stories.
As the saying goes, “‘Tis the season to be jolly.” For one family in Utah, however, Christmas will just be a regular day for there will neither be a celebration nor presents under the Christmas Tree for the children.
John and Lisa Henderson, parents of three boys, had enough of what’s going on in their house that they decided to cancel Christmas for their children. In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, the Hendersons revealed that their kids don’t deserve Christmas presents this year because the boys are very disrespectful, unappreciative of the things they currently have, and fight with each other regularly.
Lisa said that traditional means of rearing them aren’t working anymore. As parents, they had no choice but to teach their kids a lesson whenever they can. Hopefully, not getting presents could teach the kids to play nice all year round next year.
The Hendersons’ children are named Beckham (5 years old), Davis (8 years old), and Caleb (11 years old). When asked whether or not he and his brothers are what the parents described, Caleb quickly admitted his guilt.
“We would hit each other, we were fighting. Crying,” Caleb said.
Lisa wrote about her plans for her children on her blog titled Over the Big Moon. She explained in her post that the money intended for her kids’ presents will be used to purchase gifts for the deprived instead. Charities that help children are very much active during the holiday season. UnaKids, for one, is a charity that provides seasonal gifts as well as educational help to children in several countries.
Of course, her decision to cancel Christmas for her kids generated mixed feelings. Some netizens say that the Hendersons are bad parents for taking away a very special event from their kids, while others applauded them for their dedication in setting their children straight.
When asked what she thinks about the people who bash their parenting style, she said, “I think they’re the people that are causing this problem. How many times do parents threaten if you’re naughty no Santa will come. I never hear any parents actually follow through on that.”
What do you think? Did the Hendersons do the right thing for their kids? Share us your thoughts in the comments section below!
The post Naughty or nice: should you cancel Christmas when your kids are bad? appeared first on Home on Deranged.