Friend vs Parent

On the Today Show they were discussing the Miley Cyrus scandals and how Billy Rae Cyrus has been expressing his worst fears for his child. He says he regrets the way he parented his child...he was a friend rather than being a Dad, didn't set limits, didn't guide and didn't say no.  Now she's 18 and he says he's scared for his daughter.

My favorite quote I took from this interview was by the psychiatrist. She said it is too late for Billy Rae Cyrus to start parenting his child at age 18, but he can still say things such as,

"I can't tell you you can't do these things, but I AM going to tell you what I think."

Talk about a guilt trip line from your parent! This reminded me about how frustrated I was in middle and high school that my Mom wouldn't "be my friend." I would tell her how cool I thought it was that some of my girlfriends were friends with their Moms. She would always reply by saying, "I'm your Mother; not your friend." As a new Mom, I definitely look back and agree with her. She had a reputation for being such a strict Mom and it wasn't until I graduated form high school that I became close to her like a friend. I think she would also agree with the quote, "I can't tell you you can't do this, but I am going to tell you what I think." She will always be my Mom and tell me what she thinks, but we continue to get closer and closer the older we get!

I know Grace will eventually go through her middle school, talk back, I hate my parents (especially my Mother) phase, but I hope she always respects Michael and me and later realizes we made our decisions based on what we thought was in her best interest. Not just because it's cool, easy and because "everybody's doing it" like the Cyrus family.

I'm curious about what others think about the friend vs parenting styles...please comment with your opinions...