Kiddo Behaving Like Adult

Early this morning, barely 15 minutes of being in this workplace, I have experienced a complete embarrassment against the statement I made a couple of weeks ago about "treating teens like an adult" and then humiliation about my very own brood of teens. I am a protective mother hen by nature, but it made me look like a complete, total fool in front of my brood when their discipline mistress walked in and asked them to surrender their mobiles right in front of me, the form teacher, even before I get to address the issue. I hate the feeling of betrayal from my brood. It's as though they never heard what I said for the past five months. All I could think is "YEAH-LAH, TREATING THEM LIKE ADULTS HUH??!!! RIDICULOUS!!!"

I'm told that if I treat teenagers like children, they will behave like one. And they will perhaps take the responsibility of a semi-adult if we start treating them like one, and giving them the responsibility they ought to start experiencing. I'm not angry that my fellow colleague walked in and started questioning my brood of teens, but I am totally out-witted by these people whom I cared so much and relied to survive starting 2011. I believed in their potentials, despite the fact many have given up hope. Now I start questioning myself... Am I doing it right to allow them to take responsibility of their own behavior by telling them what's right or wrong, and let them decide which way they want to head to? Am I wrong to believe in them? Now, I really have no idea how to treat them. Yes, I told them I don't care what they do anymore. My abilities are way below what they need.

I still believe that a child will behave like a kid if we treat them like one. And it is so dang obvious when everybody else is treating them like kids, hence they behave like KIDS.

Indeed, enough is enough. How much I have, I gave all away. Now, I have no more.