“Striking Parents” Set Wretched Example for Their Manipulative Hell-Spawn
Andrea Gordoin of the Toronto Star has a piece up on her blog about a mom in London, Ontario who’s gone "on strike" until her lousy brats shape up and show her some respect. Stressed-out mama Roxanne Toussaint claims that the monsters treat her like dirt, continually destroy the house, and don’t even leave her enough food to sustain herself. The case mimics a similar incident recently in Florida where both parents went on strike. Both cases, oddly, sound like they were ripped from a taudry ABC after-school special.
Oh, wait. They were.
But I’m not being fair to after-school specials. In the 80s, women were not just dealing with disrespectful children, but with chauvinistic husbands who believed "family slave" was actually their wives’ official job title. Such men are fewer and further between - and a woman who finds herself saddled with one should be in divorce court, not picketing her own home. These cases are less likely the result of institutionalized sexism, and most likely the result of crappy parenting. If your children are running roughshod all over you to the point where they don’t even leave a scrap of bacon behind for your breakfast, that’s your own damn fault. You’ve failed to assert your authority as a head of the household. In short, you’ve failed to do your job as a parent.
My advice to Roxanne Toussaint kids: Don’t give in. Don’t let her break you. Keep being the vile little shits you’ve been raised to be. Put out an advertisement on Craig’s List for a "scab mom" brave enough to cross the picket line; you can fund her salary with ticket sales from the inevitable catfight in your front yard. Who knows? If you crank it up a notch, your mom might actually be inspired to grow a pair, and give you all the half-year-long grounding you’ve got coming to you.
Tags: children, london, moms-on-strike, mother, ontario, striking-parentsRelated Stories
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24 opinions for “Striking Parents” Set Wretched Example for Their Manipulative Hell-Spawn
Lora
Sep 8, 2006 at 10:44 am
Oh Gee! It’s easy to kick this Mom but she’s not the only Single Mom with this life. She’s working and going to school. The kids are raising themselves. That’s every street and state in this country. The “tent” was a sad cry for help. I hope someone helps this family.
Question; Where’s Daddy?
Be safe…
The Zero Boss
Sep 8, 2006 at 10:48 am
Lora, this woman was a single mom too. You can bet her kids didn’t behave like that. And in the second story I mentioned, the mom and dad have ZERO excuse.
Lora
Sep 8, 2006 at 11:24 am
Hell I’ve been a single mom and I didn’t end up in a tent. I get that. But I still think it’s a cry for help. I think the kids messy rooms are there way of saying give me some attention. Now if I was there they would not like the attention I’d give them. Let’s at lease give the Mom a few point for not locking the kids in a closet and going on a trip.
I didn’t like that the newspaper story. It gave me the detail all but where daddy was. Sorry that just bugs me.
I’m not sure that all men have your thinking about women not being the family slave. You are a rare bird my friend. You respect your family and treat them with respect.
Be safe…
The Zero Boss
Sep 8, 2006 at 11:50 am
You know, I’ve been thinking I need some sort of meter to rate these stories. Because you’re right, she’s a far sight better than most of the parade of parents we see here.
Agreed about the dad slant too.
Paul Lanken
Sep 9, 2006 at 1:30 pm
What are you? Stupid or just obtuse on purpose? First off, unless you have been under a rock for the last twenty years its “War on Dad” these days. Or has the whole “Mommy looser jerkface gets sole custody even though she was abusive drunken moron” thing all new to you in the courts? Dad, or multiple dads, whomever he or they may be, split a long time ago. Useless jerk that he is. Mom is left behind with the kids. Why? Seriously. Why does the Dad split and the Mom get left behind? Now there is an institution worth looking at. Try this on for size you moron, how about she is a looser idiot that can do one thing only, push out babies after sex. The daddy in this picture is quite possibly three different men over a span of fifteen years. She is a looser and the guys were all loosers and these people need to all be sterilized to prevent further damage to the gene pool. Trailer Park trash probably propped up on welfare money and subsidized education all stolen from hard working people with morals. Go find Daddy and lets get his story here also. In the mean time you need to dig for the “real story” here before running amok with bullshit.
The Zero Boss
Sep 9, 2006 at 1:31 pm
Thanks for the comment, Paul. If I ever need future feedback from The Gibbering Idiot on the Street, I’ll be sure to give you a holler.
Paul Lanken
Sep 9, 2006 at 3:56 pm
I’m not done yet.
er … yeah .. I am for now .. but I’ll be back! You mark my words .. I know what I’m talkin about here. This is a problem that won’t just go way with some white wash son.
AJ Toussaint
Sep 12, 2006 at 5:12 pm
This is to the sorry,sad,bitter person who calls himself:zero boss….
did you read the story we didnt want the media attention,my mom just wanted to just teach us a lesson.She wanted to show us how hard it is being a single parent and how hard she works for us.She’s not abandoning us or just not helping us..she is living 5 feet away from the house,she checks up on us,and did you also read up more that there is no dad to help us and no other family either… By the way to the zero person who ever wrote this,do you know how stupid you sound writing this on the internet to other people without the right information or facts and without even asking me or my family what it what all about (toussaint family) really how bitter and angry and sad it sounds,read your story again ….( most likely the result of crappy parenting. failed to assert your authority as a head of the household. failed to do your job as a parent.
My advice to Roxanne Toussaint kids: Keep being the vile little shits you’ve been raised to be)So this mean that your an expert parent? Loving and all? Cuz from the sound of your writing your a pretty cold resentfull,angry person.If you do have kids your home must be cold as a freezer with you there.You talk to your kids or mom with a mouth like that? So tell me did your mom not hug you enough when you were little? Cuz my mom loves us more than anything else in the world and she is all we have we should have been a little more thankful,but we a real good kids(ask my principal and my teachers).
And who do you think you are? You got no right in calling us little shits without knowing us…inform yourself…research a story once in a while huh? Use your brain if you have one in there (some reporter you are,or essay writer or whatever)..you cant call it crappy parenting without knowing us…and to all of you who have nothing better to do than put people down …if you took the time to read this verbal diarhea and actually posted a comment other than telling this big zero(good name btw,lol)to get a life…than you need to get a life too.The person who wrote this is a loser with nothing better to do than make people sound bad just to try to make themselves feel better.But hey…keep it up cuz you make a 14 year old kid like me sound like a genius and feel like one.Thanks…..btw…..how old are you? Oh yeah you should tell people that that picture is not MY mom…my mom is way better looking than that,she speaks three languages,has 2 grade 12 educations,college education in one language,runs her own buisness,is going to school to start another buisness and she is home alot cuz she goes to school in the morning only and works at night so the rest of the time she’s here with us,we are like the fingers on a hand,united,but you deserve the middle one right now.
PS:you even got the REAL reporters name wrong,her name is:GORDON,not:GORDOIN…..SHEEEESH…
AJ Toussaint,14
The Zero Boss
Sep 12, 2006 at 5:21 pm
OK, AJ, let me ask you directly then: Why were you kids so vile that your mother had to go on strike to make you behave? You failed to answer that question. Mothers don’t go “on strike” because their kids are “good kids”.
And for the record, I’m 33 and a father of six. And none of my kids behave like it sounds you guys did. That doesn’t make me a perfect parent; it just makes me a responsible one.
I’m glad you all love one another. Now please do us all a favor, and start treating your mom and your house with more respect. That way, people will have no cause to write articles like this.
Roxanne Toussaint
Sep 12, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Attaboy…..now that’s reporting!!! *laughs* Put in your place by a 14 yr old!! Wonderfull!!! Too rich!! My son found this,this,ummmmm,well I wont even say what I think it is but I’m sure you can imagine.lol You seem to have really inspired him to write and what a writer he would be eh? Alot better than zero.You must’nt like yourself much to call yourself that.Or is that what others called you as a child? It’s ok really,I was picked on too as a child,but I got over it.You will too,eventually,mabe.As well,from the looks of it not to many peoleread your little blog here,very few actually,not surprizing.Tu est un con,vraiment,pense un peu avant d’ecrire des choses mechantes comme ca.
Roxanne Toussaint,London,Ontario
AJ
Sep 12, 2006 at 5:30 pm
we were not vile….she needed to prove her point that being a single parent with no dad or family is real hard cuz sometimes we dont think of her enough,or did’nt you read what i wrote.and a responsible parent would not write “vile” things about others without doing the research or getting the facts right.And there was no cause in the first place to write this kind of….stuff….unless you have nothing better to do or a real cold person Mr.zero man.
AJ
The Zero Boss
Sep 12, 2006 at 6:34 pm
Roxanne, I won’t pick on your English skills because it’s obviously not your first language. As for how many readers this and my other site get - well, believe whatever you wish.
And AJ, I still think your mom should’ve just taken away all your TVs, game consoles, and what have you, and grounded y’all for a month. You kids got off way easy, IMO.
I Got Served…by a Teenager! - from The Zero Boss by Jay Andrew Allen
Sep 12, 2006 at 6:44 pm
[…] It’s always entertaining when someone you wrote about comments on your piece. It’s even more entertaining when one of those people is a 14-year-old, and he gives as good as I do. Touché, mon ami! (And with that, I’ve just squandered my entire knowledge of the French language.) […]
Knower
Sep 12, 2006 at 9:05 pm
H
Sherry
Sep 12, 2006 at 9:18 pm
Number of comments on this post so far: 15
Number of times I reread comment #8-12 before I stopped giggling: 3
Number of 14-year-old boys with a whole new respect for their mother: at least 1
The Zero Boss getting told off by a 14-year-old boy: Priceless.
Wow, that kids not bad. You should get him to guest blog.
thordora
Sep 13, 2006 at 6:30 am
That was pretty good….nice to see a kid realize he messed up a bit AND defend his Mom.
Although it would have been nice if his mom hadn’t of needed to resort to going “on strike” at all.
me
Sep 17, 2006 at 8:38 pm
I know these people. Three kids, three father’s … none of whom stuck around (obviously) Roxanne spoils the shit out of those kids and now she’s whining that they have no respect? Gee, I couldn’t imagine why that might be …
Roxanne Toussaint
Sep 21, 2006 at 6:57 am
This “me” person who claims to know us…..quite obviously does not.I would likely figure that she’s a bitter sad lonely person who’s children probably went to live with the dad,as living with her would have been a miserable existence.This person obviously does not know us at all.There is not 3 dads.I do not spoil the”shit” out of my kids.(as she so eloquently put it)Anybody who truly knows us will tell you that my children are some of the best behaved kids you’d ever meet.There was not any whining that the kids have no respect.Sometimes you need to shake things up a little….a little tough love never hurt anyone.Being a single parent is not an easy feat….I go to school mornings,til noon……I work nights part time nights…..we dont have any family to help…so the workload is all on me.Teenagers tend to be little self involved at times….it goes with the age.I think that kids/teenagers(especially ones of single parent households)need to sit down once in awhile and think of how hard their parents work to give them the home they live in….the life they have….etc….mabe this person might want to e-mail me to talk about this like an intelligent human being…..if she has the capability that is.I would love to hear from her…mabe we might even meet up for coffee if she lives in the same city as we do.So “me”….feel free to contact me:Frenchroxy@hotmail.com
And quit being so damn bitter….what’s wrong with you people?For the record….we got sooooo many positive remarks/comments…far more than negative ones.The percentage would be about 95%good…..5% bad…..so the votes of the many count far more than the bitterness of the few.Cheer up people….your lives cant be all that bad?….Can they?…Give peace a chance….Let it be….
Whiner Dad Goes on Strike - from Parents Behaving Badly by Jay Andrew Allen
Oct 6, 2006 at 6:32 pm
[…] Here at Parents Behaving Badly, we have little tolerance for parents who “go on strike” against their families. We have even less tolerance for whining husbands who go on strike against their wives. Yes, you read that correctly; thine eyes are not deceiving you. James Wilson camps out on his front lawn in protest and gives long-winded interviews to the media about how oppressed he is, because he believes - get this - that his wife Valentina is too good of a mother. Wilson is demanding - demanding! - that his kids sleep in their own bed, that they go to sleep earlier (typical bedtime is currently 11:30pm), and that they not take the children along with them on their fifth anniversary date. […]
Lan
Oct 20, 2006 at 2:43 am
Hmm.
MP
Oct 20, 2006 at 1:00 pm
OK….I have read through all of the comments regarding this issue. I have to say, The Zero Boss did not “get told” by a 14 year old. The 14 child just rambled on and on and did what any other 14 year old does….berate other people because it makes them feel better about themselves.
This “mother” has not set the right example for her children. I think The Zero Boss is right when he said that Roxanne is not a responsible mother. If her children were so good; “Anybody who truly knows us will tell you that my children are some of the best behaved kids you’d ever meet”, then why the need for the strike? If your children are so well behaved as you have said, you wouldn’t have the problems that you are experiencing. You obviously do not have ANY control over your household and your children know it. You let your children walk all over you and when you decided it was time to knock it off, it’s too late, you have already done the damage. Did you really expect them to start listening to you and showing you respect at the age of 14 if you didn’t teach them that all along? It’s your own fault your children are the way they are. Takes responsibility for your actions and stop blaming others. For someone who is as educated as you profess to be, you sure are making some pretty stupid mistakes with your children.
And yes, I am a parent of a 5 year old. My child, even at this age, is aware that she is to treat herself and adults with respect and she is completly aware of what action is tolerable and what is not. She has manners, she knows the concept of sharing and helping other (unlike your children it seems). I am extremely proud of how we raise our child, with love, affection and RULES.
It just irritates me to no end to hear parents complain about the way their children behave and they don’t listen and they are selfish and think of only themselves. Well I am sorry Roxanne, you raised them that way.
To AJ, if you think your mother is so wonderful, why do you and your siblings act so horrible that your mother (stupidly) had to go on strike? If you loved your mother and showed this, you would have already known that it’s hard to be a single parent and would have alotted her the respect she deserved for raising you on her own.
You, your mother and your siblings needs to sit down and figure out how you are going to fix the mess that she initially created.
Best of luck to you all…..you are definately going to need it.
Sarah
Mar 6, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Its not the kids, its the parent’s fault for not being a good 1.
Sarah
Mar 6, 2007 at 3:26 pm
and how can you have 2 grade 12 educations? grade 12 is nothing…you can’t get anywhere without 1 or even more university degrees. I am going for my 3rd one at the moment
Carla
Apr 19, 2007 at 2:01 pm
Well, I have to say that I enjoyed reading all the responses. I belong to a postgraduate group who is redoing the negotiation between a striking Mom and her family, originally the story from the 80’s. Thank you everybody for providing so much insight into all sides of the story. On behalf of my teammates, let me say that this story is universal and as controversal as politics and certainly more entertaining than researching negotiations in Baseball talks!
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