The time my mom stood up for me

 My mom was never one to rant and rave about her children. She was also not one to blindly fight for her children, no matter what. I think that my mom stood up for me by making me accountable for my actions and teaching me how to stand up for myself. When I was fourteen or so I went through a defiant phase and was always getting in trouble at school. I always had an excuse as to why I misbehaved and got in trouble, you know, he did this, she said that and my mom would always say

" I don't want to know about what he or she did, he or she is not my child. What did you do? What was your role in this?" 

 Well after about a year or so of this and year or so of being grounded, (when you got in trouble at school you got in trouble at home in my house) I had an altercation with a teacher. I had several altercations with this teacher throughout the year that I was totally at fault for; but in this particular instance I did not do what she accused me of (throwing a paper ball at her back and cursing at her. ) I tried to explain this situation to the vice principal but because I had been in her office so much she would not listen and called my mother and sent me home planning on suspending me. When I got home the first thing my mom said to me is

" What was your role in the altercation" 

I answered honestly like I always did with my mother " Nothing" 

She then said " You had to do something, you got suspended"

 I then went on to tell her the whole story and how the vice principal would not listen to what I had to say.

She asked me “Do you think she was right for not listening to you or suspending you” 

 I answered "No because I didn't do anything."

 She then said “Then tell her that"

I then told my mother  “She won't listen" 

She told me " Sometimes its our job as proud people to make people listen to us. "

Then she brought me up to the school and march me in the vice principle office and demanded I tell the vice principle what I just told her.  When the vice principle told my mother that the teacher was a good teacher and I had been in trouble before so she was inclined to believe the teacher my mother told her

" My child has been in trouble before and I have never came here to complain about it because above all I teach my child to be accountable for her actions and to accept the consequences for those actions. But I have also taught my daughter to tell the truth and she does not lie to me so when she says she didn’t do it she didn’t do it.”

She then demanded to see the principal. When we got to the principal’s office she demanded I tell the principal what I told her.   I told the principle the whole situation and when he said he was inclined to side with the vice principle she stood up quietly march down to my next class retrieved several of my classmates and brought them back to the office one by one and asked them what happened. They all repeated the same story that someone else threw the paper ball and I did not curse at the teacher. My mom then proceeded to tell the principle

" Like I said my daughter may do a lot of things but she does not lie to me.  If need be I will take this situation to the school board or higher  but I hope it wont come to that and this situation is settled and my daughter can go back to class and I can go  to the grocery store to get something to make for dinner.”

The principal sent me back to class and in an hour and a half  and in one swoop my mother stood up for me and showed me the importance of standing up for myself  even when the situation seems hopeless, and how being honesty at all times and personally accountable will come in handy in life when you want someone to vouch for you , even if that person is your mother. To this day I am still honesty in everything I do and personally accountable when I’m right and when I’m wrong. Thanks mom.