"It's not my fault"

Wow, how crazy does that phrase make me? Seriously, why is it now that people seem to think that and answer containing that phrase has the ability to erase all liability. What ever happened to good ol' fashioned owning up and taking responsibility for your actions? I guess thats soo yesterday huh?

Hypothetical scenario #1:

You have a "F" in class....excuse me hypothetical person, why do you have an "F" in class, (they express a serious, yet pathetic face), "its not my fault"...what!? Seriously, that’s not your final answer right? Doncha wanna call a friend or something? You know what an "F" means to me, you went to class, didn’t do any class work or homework.....what is the correct answer? I have an F because I slacked off. Will this response make me happy? No..but it will make me respect you more.

Being a mother, my job is to get my children ready for the "real" world, its brutal out there. Your boss will not except "its not my fault" as an answer, your landlord will not be willing to give you an extension on your rent, and the police will not take "I didn’t mean to" as a valid response. If I allow my children to think that phrases are acceptable is doing them a disservice.....they might think I am being a jerk, but I hope that one day, one day while I am still around, they will appreciate it.