I understand that kids have their moments - and I'll cut ANY parent slack as long as they are TRYING to deal with it. BUT - how many time have you been there when the kid is going "Mom Mom Mom Mom MOM! MOM! MOM!MOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOM!!!!" and the parent just talks louder over them. I want to get right in the parents face and scream "ANSWER THEM!!!!!!!!"
The problem is that most parents have no follow through. If you say the dreaded "Or Else" words to a kid you BETTER have an "Else" to back it up with! And something better happen when you get to FIVE if you say "I'm going to count to five".
When my sister went through a rough period in her life I went to live with her and take care of her 3 kids. They were totally out of control. She didn't have the mental energy to deal with them and so they got their way all the time. The first time I took them out to a restuarant (ok, McDonalds - but it still counted) and they startet o act up I told them to stop of we'd leave. When they didn't stop you know what happened? WE LEFT! I picked up their half-eaten food, dumped it in the garbage and took them home. And they got no snacks or anything until the next meal.
It didn't take them long to understand that I meant business. And then they learned that the more they behaved, the more fun places we went. Amusement parks, malls, movies, etc.
Kids aren't stupid - in fact I truely believe that most times they are smarter than their parents! They quickly learn whether a parent will or will not follow through on a threat of punishment and they act on that knowledge.
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Balaniki
"Everyone should have something to believe in.
I believe you should keep your beliefs to yourself."
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