A Martyr No More

My kids’ dad yelled at our 16-year-old son Saturday morning because he was headed to the gym with friends at 10:30 am. Unbeknownst to me, the night before he had asked the boys if they wanted to remove staples from the seat cushions (we were re-upholstering the cushions on our boat) that night or in the morning. They opted for the morning. In the morning, at 9:15, he left with our youngest son for a trombone audition. When they returned at 10:30, our 16-year-old was getting ready to go to the gym with friends (as usual). The middle son had just awakened.

Their dad started berating the 16-year-old for not removing the staples. The 16-year-old pushed back and said there wasn’t a specific time that was stated. Their dad got louder, talking over him, and at one point told him his actions effectively said, “Screw you, Dad!” Which was ridiculous. He could have just nicely said to our son, “Would you postpone going to the gym for an hour or two (or all day), because I need your help.” But that’s not how that went down. He immediately jumped to assuming ill intent and berating his son.