My daughter and youngest son have spent a lot of time driving each other crazy. They are like oil and water, and both think its the other person’s job to change before the irritation will stop. I spend a lot of time refereeing where I can and reminding them that they are family.

This week when I came around the corner I saw my daughter flipping off my youngest son before she turned to walk out the garage door. Yeah, that kind of crass behavior is not going to fly in my house. I told her to come here.

“Mom, I’m going to be late.”

Yeah, that excuse wasn’t going to fly. “Then you better get over here faster.”

Of course I got the arm-cross of attitude and eyeroll once she stood in front of me, but I let it slide for the moment. I wanted to tackle the more pressing matter. “Don’t you realize how vulgar it is to flip someone off?”

“What? I see kids do it all the time, it’s not that big of deal.”

And there is was, the very thing I hated most to hear. “Just because others are willing to do it, doesn’t make it any less wrong. You can’t rise to your full potential if you chose to wallow around in the gutter with everyone else. You are far too intelligent and know many better ways to communicate than that.”

Her arms stayed crossed but she did drop her gaze to the floor. “Yes, mom.”

I truly hope I hit a nerve with her. There’s nothing I hate more than the excuse of “well someone else it doing it.” The impact of bad behavior is not negated just because you can point many people doing the same thing. Trust me, those doing the bad behavior aren’t going to come to save you when the consequences of following along come due. It’s your life, so be sure you are always making a conscious effort in the ownership of it.