Parenting

Why I’m Okay With My Son Calling Me Out

No, he does not get into trouble for calling me on my hypocrisy

Jillian Enright
Mama Write
Published in
5 min readJun 28, 2021

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Photo by Lizette at Peek-A-Boo Photography

We’re all hypocrites

We’re all hypocrites. Especially parents. Oh man, are we ever hypocrites!

We don’t intend to be, but we’re human and it happens. A lot.

My son is twice exceptional (gifted with ADHD and anxiety). He is incredibly sharp and observant, so he notices every single time I slip up. Every. Single. Time. Which is a lot. I make a lot of mistakes.

I admit I sometimes get annoyed with my child, 29 years my junior, calling me to task. None of us enjoy having our mistakes pointed out, but that’s really not our children’s problem, is it? When adults rebuke children for this, it’s really more of an issue with the adult’s pride.

Allowing respectful debate helps children develop important life skills, so I will explain why I try to be humble and to remain open to hearing my son’s observations.

Photo by author

Self-Advocacy Skills

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Jillian Enright
Mama Write

She/they. Neurodivergent, 20+ yrs SW & Psych. experience. I write about mental health, neurodiversity, education, and parenting. Founder of Neurodiversity MB.