Rickey Smiley gave some advice to parents with adult children who are ungrateful. Smiley said he wanted to acknowledge all the parents who have done their best to raise their children and provide for them.
“I just want to shout out all the parents this morning that did their very best to make sure that your kids have everything they need,” said Smiley.
However, Smiley acknowledged that sometimes parents make sacrifices for their children who are not grateful and do not appreciate what their parent(s) have done for them.
“From toiletries to clothes, to school uniforms, sports and back and forth to basketball practice… Only for your kid, that you make sacrifices for, to grow up and tell you that you weren’t there for me and you didn’t do enough stuff for me,” said Smiley.
The radio host said he wanted to free parents from the guilt their child may put on them. He said these parents are outstanding providers, and they should not feel guilty about needing to work.
“Military people, people that are in the military have to go overseas to Afghanistan, Iraq or Japan or anywhere else to fight a war or be stationed and gone for months at a time, and you got some kids around here complaining and griping because you’re gone for a weekend,” said Smiley.
He added that there is no such thing as a perfect parent. Smiley said he wants parents to feel confident in how their children are raised.
“You don’t owe these kids nothing, especially these grown [ones],” said Smiley.
Some children were raised well, but some chose to do badly in life and make adverse decisions.
“Some of them chose to smoke weed. Some of them chose to drink. Some of them chose to go left when you say go right… Just because they want to do what they want to do,” he said.
Smiley said it is not bad parenting to create space when dealing with disgruntled adult children. He said parents should focus on children in their lives who are trying to stay on a positive path.
“Help somebody else that would appreciate [you],” said Smiley.
“God restores and replaces. Stop being obsessed with your biological, gene, kids that don’t appreciate you, and get with somebody that absolutely loves you,” he concluded.
