I was at the grocery store the other day. A mother was there with two young children, a boy about 5 and a girl about 7. The boy wanted something. I couldn’t hear what. But I did very clearly hear his mother say that they had already discussed this and he knew the answer was no. Since I was pushing my cart down the aisle behind them, I could hear the little boy arguing the point. Mom remained firm. The young boy then chose to throw a full blown, loud, screaming hissy fit. Mom looked at him for a moment, then picked him up out of the cart, put him under her arm like a football, took the young girl’s hand and, leaving her groceries behind, left the store.
I didn’t get a chance to say it then but if that mother or any mother like her is reading this, let me just say a heartfelt thank you. It’s nice to know that some parents still believe they are in charge and will not let a child get his or her way just to shut them up. Kids need to know there are boundaries and that those boundaries are firm and don’t magically disappear in public if you try to embarrass your parental unit.
That mother is raising a child I might actually enjoy getting to know when he’s an adult.