No matter how much we try to deny it, we have all had a point during our angsty teenage years that we’ve wished we didn’t have to live with our parents. Don’t try and pretend that you’re innocent, because you KNOW you’ve yelled, “God, Mom, you’re ruining my LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFE!” once or twice.
Jaden Smith, the 14-year-old son of Will Smith and Jada Pinket-Smith, seems to have finally hit this phase in his lovely charmed life. The difference with Mr. Smith is that unlike normal teenagers that simply stomp up to their room, slam their door, and blast Avril Lavigne until they’re told that it’s bedtime when they get angry, Jaden is seeking total emancipation from his parents. Now, any ordinary parental figure would absolutely flip their wig if they heard that their baby was filing a court order against them, but not the Smiths! Ultimate cool dad Will recently spoke about the possibility of losing Jaden, saying:
“He says, ‘Dad, I want to be emancipated.’ I know if we do this, he can be an emancipated minor, because he really wants to have his own place, like ‘Ooh.’ That’s the backlash. On the other side, if kids just want to have command of their lives, I understand.”
Umm…okay? He continued on about how his and Jada’s parenting skills may have contributed to the emancipation:
“We generally don’t believe in punishment. From the time Jaden was five or six, we would sit him down, and all he has to do is be able to explain why what he did was the right thing for his life. I think it’s a much more difficult question to ask someone —’Why was that right?’ — than to try to show them why it was wrong. Nobody wants to be wrong, all parts of yourself fight like crazy to not be wrong. So I’ll say to Jaden, ‘Why was that the right thing to do for your life?’ and if he can explain why kicking his sister in the chest was the right thing to do, we can see to it that he understands that it wasn’t so smart.”
Alright, Will, I guess I see your point somewhat, but on the other hand, I think there needs to be serious thought put into this decision, especially because Jaden is still so incredibly young! What do you all think: is this justified or not so much?
