Parenting isn’t easy. It’s one of the most difficult jobs you will ever have. There is no manual that is created for your child. No matter how many psychologists or parenting experts have written books and lectured on the topic, they do not have all of the answers.
I’ve witnessed great parents have wayward children and I’ve also seen poorly-reared children turn out to be phenomenal people. Children have basic needs that we must fulfill like food and shelter but they also need boundaries.
The recent viral video of TI and his wife, Tiny, in an argument with their son, King, is an example of what happens when children grow up to become adults without boundaries.
According to reports,” King began live streaming on IG where he pleaded his case that he knew about hardships like living with roaches while growing up … to which his famous parents scoffed at his story and claimed he’d run to his grandmother’s house to suck the pacifier because he wasn’t allowed to in their mansion.
King reached his breaking point and began to scream he’s known for standing on business, to which T.I. stepped in and told him he was not only “embarrassing” the family but himself as well.” The argument escalated into a physical altercation between King and TI.
It’s not only this incident but others in which King challenged an unhoused man to the “One Chip Challenge,” which involves eating an extremely spicy Paqui chip and then waiting “as long as possible” before drinking or eating anything else.
He told the man that he’d receive $50 if he ate the chip with- out drinking water for the next five minutes. The man could be seen struggling from the pure heat of the chip, ultimately losing the challenge. King states, “He done lost though! But I done gave him $20.”
In May 2022, he was filming himself on IG Live threatening Waffle House restaurant workers after they allegedly messed up his order.
I remember watching the “Family Hustle ” show and was always stunned by his behavior. Often his antics were met with laughter and dismissed. Even as a young adult, his behavior has been excused. His father earlier this year stated in defense of his son, “We all have bad a#% kids.” I’ve seen on social media parents who video their children cursing and find it cute or funny. It’s not funny when that behavior goes to another level and becomes embarrassing or difficult to deal with.
As parents, we all want our children to have a better life than we have but in doing so, our children may be losing the opportunity to build character and have an attitude of gratitude. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” It’s hard work raising children. Yet, I often remind people that you are raising your children to become adults so that they can live in the world and live without you. It’s important to think about the kind of adult you want your child to become and instilling those values starts not when they are teens but when they are toddlers. Just as children are to obey their parents (Colossians 3:20–21), parents have a responsibility to their children.
Scripture states “…do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”
Ephesians 6:4 reiterates Colossians 3:20-21, “…do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.”
As parents, we owe it to our children to provide love, boundaries, and expectations of their behavior. We cannot demand that our children have a moral compass without our willingness to operate with one as well.
This is a lesson for all of us that no one is perfect in parenting. Children will do dumb things (we all have) but if we give them boundaries, the odds are far greater for them to navigate life. Model for your children what you want them to become and allow the life of Christ to serve as your model.
Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the President of Soulstice Consultancy, LLC and the Founder of the Reconciliation and Restoration (r2fdn.org) Foundation. The author of 4 books including Empowering Charity: A New Narrative of Philanthropy, Dr. Booker-Drew is also the host of the Tapestry Podcast.
