Let me start off by saying that it’s not that I don’t like kids; it’s just that some kids can really push the limits and that some parents just don’t know how to parent.
How many times have you been on a plane and allowed your kid to jump up and down in his seat, screaming, throwing a fit, or running up and down the aisles? How many times has your child has thrown a screaming tantrum in the shopping mall just because she doesn’t get to go to the toy store and you don’t discipline her in any way? What about in the grocery store when your little boy wants candy and you let him scream? Or in a park when told it’s time to go and your little girl slaps you in the face.
If this information pertains to you, I along with rest of the country, have something to tell you: it’s not okay and you’re being a bad parent.
Calming the flame
When children act like this, the only thing to do is tell them they are out of place and discipline them. That’s the harsh reality and there is no way to sugar coat it. There is nothing that angers or irritates me more than when kids do something like this and their parents do little or nothing in response. And there’s no excuse for a child not to be disciplined when he or she displays behavior that is so wrong and disrespectful. When a child has a screaming fit in a shopping mall, I’ve seen parents do nothing but yell “shut up” or “leave me alone.” This is such a sorry sight to see and I think to myself that their situations are only going to get worse. Parents need to learn to address their children in a calm way when they are unhappy, one that gets their message across without coming across as mad.
This abusive and abrupt parenting is known to resolve the situation at that time but it will have no effect on your child’s future behavior. Before you know it, you could be right back in the same situation that you hoped never to be in again. Situations like these should usually end up in having a long talk with your child when you’re home and relaxed.
The Look
Keeping your child’s behavior in check should never be difficult. The unfortunate truth is that many parents have a hard time keeping peace between the kids and adults. An age-old trick that can be used in any situation unlimitedly is having a look. A look to tell you child that what he or she is doing is not okay and it has to stop of there will be severe consequences.
CNN columnist LZ Granderson weighs in on this subject saying, “If you had ‘the look,’ you wouldn’t need to say ‘sit down’ a thousand times.” The look can be a problem solver forever and always for your bratty kids. It can be used from ages 1 to 100 if the seed is planted at the right age and if the look represents a strict meaning. Granderson hints that starting discipline (like the look) at a young age can be a crucial parenting trick that can turn any situation around.
Other People Don’t Love Your Kids as Much as You Do
You might think your kid jumping up and down in an airplane or having a tantrum in the shopping mall is cute, but the truth is- nobody else does. In fact, this behavior that you think is cute makes others (including me) so angry that we hold back every urge in our body not to discipline your child our self.
Kids acting like little rats may not be entirely their fault but that doesn’t mean that it’s okay. At such a young age and through their childhood, the only way kids know how to behave is the way they are used to acting. If their parents never teach them the proper way to behave then they don’t know what is expected of them. It’s the parent’s responsibility to teach kids what the proper behavior is, because they don’t know the proper way to act. Parents need to keep a stronger hold on their kid’s behavior and show them the right way to behave before a certain age. And if children are not trained to behave appropriately in a timely manner, their bad behavior can follow them into adulthood.
If any of this information pertains to you, please realize that you are doing something wrong. When your child acts like this, you might think it’s fine, but the truth is that it is anything other than fine to the other people in your surroundings. You are the one who has the power to mold your child’s behavior for the rest of his or her life. You are the one that can make the difference. It might be hard to stand up and put your kids in place but it is really for their own good.
This article was written as a response (and in almost-total aggrement with) LZ Granderson’s opinion piece on CNN.
