Ya Gotta Earn It To Own It

I have to say, this is one of my top five tv shows right now. I absolutely LOVE Run's House on MTV. I've watched it off and on for the past several months, but on New Year's Day when I was feeling a bit, ahem, under the weather, I watched the marathon. Why am I so enamored you ask? Here's the deal. These are real people. "Rev. Run" as he's called, is an awesome Dad. Justine, his wife, is an AMAZING Mom. She rules the house with quiet yet firm grace. Run is the master of quotes. His kids are totally embarrassed by him, as most kids their age are with their parents, and yet they seem to respect him at the same time.
This family, the Simmons, are an empire. They are amazing. They are hardworking, real people who have made their fortune through sweat and tears. I think most people who hear the name "Run DMC" or "Phat Farm" think new money, over the top, overindulgent rappers. Not so much. Russel Simmons and his brother, Joey "Run DMC" Simmons, have worked their butts off to become who they are. Now they are encouraging their kids to do the same. While they live in ridiculous homes and drive enviable cars, they continue to instill the morals, values and ethics of "working class folk". You gotta earn it to own it. It's the age old prophecy, right?
I struggle EVERYDAY to reinforce this with my own kids. It is so painful to make them pick up their toys, to refuse to buy gum or candy or WHATEVER everytime we're at the store, to insist they accept ownership for their actions.
Watching this show has been more enlightening for me than any parenting book I've read. For real. This IS real life. These are people struggling with the same issues we have everyday, money notwithstanding. SOOOO, watch it! Tivo it!!! Get it on Netflix if you can! It's fun...it's FUNNY...and it will make you feel like you're back home with your parents. Dr. Daddy always makes me feel bad when he emphasizes our age gap and more importantly our generation gap. As I've gotten older (okay, not THAT old...) I've begun to understand his point. He's only 17 years older than me but in that time we seem to have grown from a culture of earning to a culture of expecting. Entitlement. EEEW. I hate that word. We've lost our GRACE as a country.
Somehow, someway, watching this show has made me realize that gap and the importance of filling it for my own kids.