You posted: The mom lost this fight years ago. You don’t have uncontrollable teenagers without first failing to control them as toddlers, preschoolers, etc..
That’s a lot of kids to take care of while they’re young (4 in 5 years). Parenting skills do not come naturally. They have to be learned. She probably threw up her hands very early in their lives because they were more than she could handle.
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This woman has obviously made a number of mistakes. 4 kids, no apparent idea of how to raise them, poor choice of father(s). Teenage boys should be able to take care of themselves at that age, not sure about the neglect charge.
I guess I should be thankful for my two well-behaved 16 year olds, and a wife who makes sure they stay that way. I know some behavior is “hard-wired” into the kids, but it is hard to believe better parenting couldn’t have mitigated some of these problems.
Me neither. Even a 13 year old should be able to take care of himself. All of these kids should be able to fix their own meals and should know how to behave. All they need is family therapy.