Topic : 12/27 Extreme Parenting

I totally agree with the gentleman who put the car chip in to monitor his son's driving. My husband was hit head on by a drunk driver who was traveling in the wrong lane at a very high speed. As result, he spent three and a half months in the hospital recuperating from a compound fracture of his left femur, shattered knees and tibia plateaus, a broken hip, three broken ribs, a broken collarbone and both wrists were shattered. My husband's Subaru Forester looked a lot like the picture of the Mercedes Dr. Phil showed. Luckily, my husband did survive, but nearly three years after the accident, he stills suffers daily pain and has to walk with a cane. He will never be whole again. This boy needs to learn that he is not only endangering his life, but the life of his friends riding in the car with him and as Dr. Phil pointed out, everyone else on the road.  

I put my son into gymnastics at ages 3, 4, & 5 years old because there was nothing else available for his age.  At 5 years old, he no longer wanted to do the "girl" gym as he would call it. He knew at age 5 that it was a more feminine sport. I went along with his feelings and stopped the gymnastic lessons. At 6, he was able to enroll in baseball and then in basketball.  He was much happier because it was what he wanted to do and was more comfortable with.  As he got older, he admitted that the gymnastics at a young age helped him with co-ordination and control of his body so that he could excell in sports.   

Take the cheering training and apply it as a good starting point, but allow him to stop and persue his own interests. 

My son is in college now, studying to be a physical therapist/sports physiatrist.  Playing sports did a lot to influence his career choice.  Don't hold your son hostage to the sport you want him to participate in...let him choose and watch him blossom ! 

My father was also in the military and treated us this way. I do not see how this is anything other than abuse. As a child it is incredibly scary to have an adult yell at you, and in our case, physically punish us (regularly.) My brother's and sister's and I wished for my mom to leave him and she finally did, when most of us had already grown and left home. I think this many should be reported and thrown into jail. How dare anyone treat a child this way. 

Dear Dr. Phil, 

I was disappointed at your response to the 16 year old driver whose father was monitoring his driving.  This child should NOT be driving at all!  Why does he even have a vehicle?  Does he truly need to be driving himself anywhere?  Dad should have taken his truck away.  Watching the show, it was obvious that the kid didn't "get" it.  If indeed 16 year olds' brains aren't developed fully, could you please take a stand against granting driver's licenses to children when they are 16, or even 15 in some states?  Let's please begin a campaign to roll back the age at which children can drive to 17 or 18.  I'd rather drive my kid around, spend quality time with her, than follow the hearse carrying her body for burial. 

Thank you, 

Connie 

listening to the show... I think Dr. Phil missed the mark.  I have Three Daughers  ( one step, one mine, one ours).   I was raised Military style.   In turn I raised my girls the same.    My  Methods were not reenforeced with my step daughter.  The Ex-Wife and My husbands family  Said I had no say in parenting her.      I would not let his family interfear with the other Two.  I was warned (by his family) I was too strict and my girls" would rebel and be pregnant by 14."   Thou at times he did not always agree my husband  and I always showed a united front.    

How did the story end.... 

My Step Daughter  just made it out of High School be she got pregnant with her first of 4!!  We think she married one of the fathers at some point, but he is no longer in the picture....  

My Oldest left my house at 21 to join the Military, after some College.  and has been happily Married for two years.   She has thanked me for keeping her stright.   "Mom, you would not belive how some of these girls have screwed up their lives." 

I Still have one at home she is 16 and a wonderful child. Strong headed like her Mother.  She has said her friends admire the way her mother treats her.    She enjoys more freedom than most of her friend, because she has earned it.   . 

She is now recieving the same level of  RESPECT from Me, that  I get from her. 

If she had mouthed off at 12yrs like the girl in today's show... Thing would be different 

And yes I yelled and got right in their faces when they got out of line.   Maybe they did so well because There was no one there to cottle them and Undermind my Authority.    I think the Mom on the Show would be surprised at how fast the arguing would dissapear from her house hold, if she Shut -up and backed him up.  "he asked you to do something, If you did it when he asked he would not be yelling." ...."I dont care why.. just get it done!!"   Yes it  can be that simple 

I was very upset when I was watching the "Marine Stepdad" episode about parenting the 12yr old. First of all, this mother SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCIPLINING this child ALL ALONG, not wait until she got a man in her life and make him the bad guy and fix what SHE BROKE! That child is a spoiled brat with her mother coddling her, and I guarantee that if she isn't kept on a tight leash, and her mother letting her get away with everything, she will be doing drugs, having sex just to spite her stepdad. If mom respected her husband, she should have TOLD HER DAUGHTER to do what she is supposed to do and do it WHEN TOLD...not wait until he reached the "in your face" stage. That girl deserved all of that!  

How do I know this works? I'm a former Woman Marine, single mom for many years. I had to be everything to my kids, EXCEPT their buddies! My 3 kids are now 26, 23 and 16. My oldest graduated this past may from Kent State, my youngest is 16, a junior in high school, at her choice in the school's ROTC program and excelling. She is also attending COLLEGE since her SOPHOMORE year of high school, she knows how to manage money, is respectful, and cleans her room and the house WITHOUT BEING TOLD! In turn, I respect her space and I'm there for her!  

Now, my 23 yr old, who suffers with manic depression had a long-standing problem with on-line porn. He gave me no other problems at all except for this. He crossed the line when we tried to get him help (his father went to jail for sex acts with a minor) all during high school. His depression was hurting all of us; he refused meds. Early in 2005, I called the FBI and he was caught, and it is tearing me apart that my son is in jail, BUT he is getting the help he so desperately needed! 

TOUGH LOVE WORKS, and this wimpy mother better step up to the plate and quit spoiling her daughter!