Properly disciplined children know what’s up when mom or dad shoots them “the look,” that nonverbal cue to behave. The problem, writes this editorial’s author, is that some parents don’t dispense discipline at home, leading to bratty behavior that no look can quash.
I’m still working on my look.
Today at the Hall of Science, this thick, one-year-old bruiser pounded his meaty palms on a ledge just below The Boss’s face. Without making a move towards the boy, his mother gushed, “Oh, he can be aggressive sometimes.”
I took my cue from the Dog Whisperer and led The Boss away without saying anything. But all I could think was, “Lady, if your kid hits my kid, then I’m going to hit you. That’s how it’ll play out.”
Teaching a child to behave is about preventing an offensive act, not making excuses for it. Permissive parenting benefits no one, least of all the child.
The Dog Whisperer would disagree with the way I handled the playground brat on Friday. He makes some good points in this response to fan mail, stuff that I’ll apply the next time The Boss and I are confronted with an unruly child.
That smug, overbearing woman who criticized American mothers for their lax parenting skills can now boast that her oldest daughter made it to the Ivy League. Have fun paying for that!
