I was in line in Target the other day and the woman checking out in front of me was ignoring her crying and unhappy 2 year old. The cashier began to engage him in a conversation, trying to pacify him a bit. He said he was crying because he didn't get anything. She asked him if he wanted something and goodheartedly pulled something out of her drawer. He wanted no part of it. Apparently he wanted a toy car and when his mom said that he doesn't always get something and he has a hundred cars at home he called her, "Stupid mommy."
She quietly said, "Don't say that, " with no authority in her voice whatsoever. It was more of an afterthought to his rude comment. When he said it again she said nothing as I just stood there aghast.
I wanted to reach out to this woman and tell her that she did not have to stand for this kind of behavior. I wanted to tell her that she could easily and quickly put a stop to this, but I didn't know how.
When I see children getting away with such atrocious behavior I want to step in and liberate the parents by showing them how they can have wonderful, happy, obedient children.
As a new mom I read all kinds of magazines and books about how to raise my child. I thought I was informed but I was frustrated because I still didn't know how to stop my baby from throwing a temper tantrum, how to get her not to eat the dirt from my plants or how to get her to come to me when I asked her to. Wiggling at diaper changes was also an issue. I remember reading discipline issues in Parenting Magazine and saying to myself, "Are you joking me?" They dealt with making the bed and not yelling at your kids. They offered no solutions and so I was trapped in what I new, yelling and slapping their hands.
Some months later my life was transformed when I came across an almost magical little book called
To Train Up A Child. It gave me immediate hope and offered simple solutions that I was putting to the test successfully. I was and remain a believer in the methods laid out in the book although I have adapted them to work for me anywhere.
If you struggle with control and would like to have joyful, happy and loving children this may be just what you need. I read the book prior to expecting my 2nd child and certainly would not have 6 children today had I not come across this insightful book for parents.