Raising Cain - and Flames
Suppose you were a mother burned out of your home, and it wasn't a wildfire but a wild child - your own son - that set the blaze? That's the scenario behind a story reported in the Telegraph. A British family has experienced nothing but grief since they appeared two years ago on the TV reality show Supernanny (shown here in the States on ABC). The parents have subsequently separated, the children have been teased at school, their bad behavior - encouraged by the show's producers for maximum effect on TV - has gotten worse, and now the three-year-old allegedly torched the home, forcing mom and kids to move out.
If you lose your home and possessions because of wildfire, you get nothing but sympathy. But if your home goes up in smoke because your kid is a firebug, well, you get lots of head-shaking and looks of pity, and undoubtedly you overhear conversations questioning your role as a good mother.
In her defense, she is a single mom now raising five rambunctious boys. But from the response of readers on forums that have picked this up in the US and UK, her house is not the only place where she's felt the heat of many flames.
Comments
This poor lady! Alone with 5 rambunctious boys! How could anyone not feel sorry for her.
I have never understood why two otherwise intelligent people have not got the common sense to sort their own kids out without calling in someone like Supernanny.
From what I have seen of this TV show she simply uses common sense. If your child is doing the things the children on that show do then you set up some interventions.
I don’t think a 3 year old would sit down and think “OK mum, you let the world see what a little terror I am so I’m going to burn your house down”. He would have been doing what too many children do and found some matches to play with.
For the TV produces to encourage the bad behaviour of this child to make the show better beggars belief. In a show that is supposed to help a parent get control it is absolutely unconscionable to do this just for the ratings and the money.
My heart goes out to this poor woman. Her husband didn’t mind making babies but when the going got tough he couldn’t take it so she is left with the responsibility of cleaning up the mess that he helped to create.
I agree with the first comment! And I’ll add that if those who have the energy and time to criticize this woman would use both to offer her a bit of encouragement and support, it would show her and her children a much better example of the RIGHT kind of behavior.
Mother of five, take a deep breath, smile and carry on. You can do it!