Every day I hear excuses made by parents on why their son or daughter is acting like a jerk. He’s tired, he’s hungry, and he’s bored. No one wants to take responsibility for their children and the way they act anymore. They want to jump on the ADD train immediately. I hate to tell you this, but your son is a jerk because you don’t discipline him. Plain and simple.
I saw a mother the other day in the grocery store battling with her son about whether or not he was sitting in the cart. He was maybe 3. She kept saying, “Son, will you please sit in the cart for mommy?” I am thinking, are you kidding me? He is 3. You don’t ask him to do something. You tell him to do something, and if he doesn’t, there are consequences. Just like all these day care standards where kids have choices. Yes, their choice should be do what you say or here is the consequence.
Another incident I witnessed at a store was a mother counting, you know the 1…..2……2 and a half….and she kept doing it over and over, and nothing ever happened when she got to 3. If we kept eating the chocolate we love so much there is a result…we gain weight. Similarly, if you allow a child to continue the bad behavior, they will become an asshole.
I am not a perfect parent by any means, and we all make mistakes and learn as we go. However, the one thing that is constant in parenting is that if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. Discipline is a must, and I don’t mean spanking when I say discipline. You have to find something that is devastating to them to lose or to do. I will take away electronics, yes, but these days that is not even enough. So in addition to that, my son has to sweep and mop the floor or clean the bathroom. I don’t know about you, but most boys or men I know do not like to clean. It is all about finding out what works and STICKING TO IT. Consistency is the key.
If you need help on this, maybe take some parenting classes, watch a few webinars. Pinterest is an excellent source of all things parenting. You can do it…and you have to for your sanity and your children’s success.
Realism for Dummies 