shecky said:
Bad behavior doesn't always correlate to bad parenting. I consider my wife and me to be good parents. My kids are polite, they're smart, they know their boundaries. They push them, of course, but that's their job. So if my 4-year-old decides in the middle of Target to go ballistic is that bad parenting? Or rather is it good parenting that I drop everything right that second and remove her from that so as not to "afflict" the other patrons? Just because my kids might have a meltdown on occasion doesn't make me a bad parent. It just makes me a parent. Personally, I'm a bit wary of parents who seem to have perfect children. Something is not right in that situation.
If a meltdown occurs because I'm exercising my responsibility to not give in to every whim of my children, that's bad parenting by your logic.
Okay, I should clarify. If they have a meltdown, and your method of dealing with the meltdown is to ignore it – for the reasons you’ve mentioned elsewhere – that’s you being a good parent, whether it’s in Target or TGIFriday. I believe it to
also be good parenting if you drop everything and remove her from the store. Yes, it might slightly play into her manipulation, but it shows consideration for the people around you and her, that bursting out like that in public is
socially unacceptable behavior as well; it teaches a lesson beyond the parent-child relationship, for it shows that her behavior can have an impact beyond the two of you. Is that logic a bit more sense?
The friend I referenced earlier with the Microterrorists has ensured his girls know their boundaries, both within the nuclear family and without.
I'm not sure what a daft wossname is so I'll reserve being insulted until I do more research.
One of those areas which would be crystal-clear were we to be having a pint together. It’s humor; I consider the responsibilities of parenting too mind-bogglingly huge to contemplate, ergo all parents are completely daft.
You can certainly tell parents they're doing it wrong. That's fully your right, but don't be surprised when many of us might tell you to take a really long walk off a short pier.
Which is your right and prerogative. As I wrote before, we may agree to differ! I’ll promise to avoid being such a ****** as to make you sock me in the snoot, so long as you promise to at least consider that French onion soup pairs poorly with being able to see a child’s tonsils, she’s screaming so loudly.
FireBrewer said:
Some dogs do that. They're wired like that. But I don't hate the dog for it and I don't think less of the owner for it. It happens. If it's a constant problem (like barking at 3am) then yeah, it's the owner's issue but I don't want to beat the dog for it.
Nor do I wish to beat a child for doing childish things. I
do think less of the owners of ill-behaved dogs, even though dogs are wired to do those things; it’s called control of a supposedly domesticated animal. You have to know your dog, the dog-owner relationship and how to make your personal dog-owner relationship fit within the larger society.
You know, I should point out that I don’t personally dislike anyone with whom I’ve been so civilly debating, and I’d certainly never think less of anyone, kids or no kids. I’d have a pint with any of you and we’d enjoy each other’s company immensely. We’re simply discussing personal boundaries, and that’s a good thing.
Another for the list of Ye Thynges I Hate:
Man-****s. Like, ewwwwww, srsly.