I've had all I can stand...and I can't stands no more!

Just the other day, I was talking with one of the older nurses I work with about this generation and their "sense of entitlement".   I realized, that in our quest to give them "everything we didn't have", we may have created a society of monsters.  I remember, as a child, being a latchkey kid.  I knew that both of my parents worked full time, and there was a set of expectations that I had from them, that were unwavering.  I knew that I wasn't responsible for the cooking, but I knew that when my mom came home from work, that the house had better be picked up.  There was no allowance, no trips to the mall, no extras..unless they were earned.  In my days as a stay at home mother, I did everything for my kids.  I cleaned their rooms, put away their laundry, almost waited on them hand and foot.  I felt it was my "duty" as a stay at home mom, since I didn't work outside the home anymore.  When I divorced and went back to work, the "single mom guilt" came into play, and I still spoiled them more than I should have.  I felt that I owed it to them because I was trying to be two parents in one.  Unfortunately, what I did was create a monster.  Well, make that two monsters.  I tried to be nice.  I tried bribery.  I tried allowences, chore charts..you name it.  I finally had it up to HERE...when I came home after putting in a 12 hour day and the house was in shambles.  Dishes everywhere.  Dinner items all over.  The children had been home a good 5-6 hours and nothing was done.  I'm not trying to pull the "pity party" card..but dagummit, working 2 jobs, plus babysitting to make sure that the kids have their Wii, the Xbox Live subscription, the WiFi for the laptop, the money for mall trips for unnecessary items, the clothes, the boots..you name it...I try to always do the best that I can for them.  I just had enough.  Enough of feeling like a chauffeur.  A maid.  An ATM.  A laundress.  A chef.  I'm done with the guilt that I felt when I thought I couldn't provide as well as two parents.  I'm not doing my children any favors by doing everything for them.  So, I went on strike this past weekend.  Of course, my son caved far sooner than my daughter...but there is a "new" sheriff in town.  I'm obligated to provide them food, clothing, and shelter...but the paramaters of those are of my choosing.  I don't have to get up every day at 645 am to take my daughter to school because she doesn't want to ride the bus.  I don't have to give them the router password so that they have unlimited internet.  I don't have to give them Starbucks and McDonalds; or CookOut milkshakes, or late night munchie runs.  I don't have to pay for Netflix so that they can watch movies on demand.  I don't have to pick up their friends, or let them have sleepovers, or have all of the myriad of things that I do to make their lives easier or more fun.  I've decided to draw the proverbial line in the sand, and try to undo the Frankenstein's creation that I've built, with my own brand of laziness, guilt, and sense of obligation.  I know that it's going to be a hard sell on them, because I've gotten them used to all of the things that I do; but ultimately, it will make them, and me, better people.  I need to learn to let them make their own mistakes, and not hover over them making sure things are done "my way"; and they need to learn that it takes a lot to run a household.  I need to learn to let go, and not try to control everything; and they need to learn that there are consequences for every action.  Hopefully, we won't kill each other or drive each other insane at the end of this, and I can appreciate my children for the people that they are, and they can appreciate me for all of the seemingly invisible things that I have to do every day to keep their lives the way they want them.