I tell mine that if they can buy it themselves, they can have it. Otherwise, they can ask for it for a birthday or Christmas.
Wow, FishStix, I guess all mothers and kids should stay at home at all times. Kids can be good most of the time, but you never know when they’re going to get tired, whiny, demanding, etc. and it usually seems to be in public. Part of growing up is learning how to act in public. I guess you’re still learning. Seriously now, that was just rude.
My daughter has, mostly, learned that if she is a pest the answer will be no. If she behaves herself the she might get something special, but not always, and sometimes the something special is getting to pick the cereal.
Is fishstix volunteering to watch my kids while I shop?
Sometime, many times, a mom has no choice but to take the kids along when she shops. And like lightenup said, sometimes they get tired and whiny. So do grown ups, but most of us have learned to be civilized in public.
Ellie does need to learn to be more assertive, but Micheal sure has her figured out.
One way to handle shopping with little kids is before you go into the store, tell them that if they are patient while you do the shopping, when you are done, they can do some shopping of their own, then give them a dollar (or how ever much you want) that they can spend as they choose. One of my kids nearly always pocketed the dollar, the other usually saved it for the the crane machine, but occasionally they bought a couple candy bars or some really cheap toy.
Old story: a Christian family counselor was in a restaurant with his family. the youngest child starting act up, misbehaving, doing all the brat things children do to test the parent. The counselor picked the kid up, carried him out of the store. He said, “I was tempted to jam him into the open trash bin and go back to my meal, but i kept telling myself, ‘No, you’re a counselor. That wouldn’t be right.” So he took him out of the store to the car while the family and everyone else finished in peace and quiet. And kids can be very well mannered if you don’t eat at MacDonalds or shop Wal-Mart. Wally world seems to kill everyone’s manners when you walk in the door. Usually when they walk through the EXIT door no less.
my kids did the brat thing once,, they each had a toy in the cart they wanted but were still acting up majorly,, so i grabbed thier hands and walked right out of walmart leaving the cart right there,,, they never acted out again.
When my son was small, we took him grocery shopping with us and warned him ahead of time that if he started acting up and demanding treats, he would go out and sit alone in the car. He, of course, had to test us so he started in with the “gimmies” and a tantrum. His dad took him out to the car, strapped him into the car seat and shut the door. (He stayed nearby, just not where he could be seen). Mike never did it again.
When my son was little BiLo used to give the kids a cookie when you dropped by the bakery. Pretty soon it was ‘want cookie’ the moment we walked into the store. I told him if he was good he’d get the cookie when we get there. One day he decided he wanted to push the envelope and kept crying ‘want cookie’ and making it sound like I was beating him up. I told him, sternly, “If you don’t quiet down you will not get a cookie”. Well, he kept it up, I hurriedly finished shopping and walked right past the bakery counter. Naturally he had quieted when he saw the bakery, but when i sailed right past it he had this thunderstruck look on his face’ Want Cookie!’ I told him, ‘I told you to quiet down or no cookie. You didn’t quiet down. No cookie’. There was much wimpering and wailing and pouting, but it wasn’t as loud a ruckus as it had been. The next time we came in he said ‘want cookie’ I said ‘behave and you’ll get it when we get to the cookies’. Other than usual commentary about the packages designed to draw kids to them and such he was quiet, and when we got to the bakery he looked up at me and I said ‘Yes, you get a cookie’. He munched happily and I never had any trouble out of him concerning the cookie.
Bottom line…..say what you mean and mean what you say. If you say ‘if this behavior then this consequence’ FOLLOW THROUGH. Kids can learn.
I totally agree with fishstix. If you can’t control your bratty kids, then do not go to the store or restaurant. Those of us that look upon eating out as a special treat don’t want to hear whiny bratty kids whose parents haven’t learned how to raise their kids. Just stay home!
This woman is thrown into a tizzy by every little thing. The kids are being normal kids, but the mother is the one throwing the big fit in the middle of the store instead of telling them that they can have something small if they behave. Instead of being used to these things, she’s always caught completely off guard.
It isn’t always possible to leave the kids at home. Even with my large family (five adults), everyone works. While I try not to take the kids shopping or to restaurants when they are whiney, sometimes you just have no choice. Point in fact, I had to pick up a prescription for whiney brat #1, and had no one to watch either of our kids. Did I want to take my sick kid into Wallyworld? Not on your life. I had no choice. No Walmart, no prescription, means more problems all over. I went in, got the script, got out. And I still got dirty looks.
Know what? Bug off. I don’t take them to fancy restaurants to disturb your meal. It’s freakin’ wallyworld. Geez.
My brother and I learned this type of behavior only got us deposited at Gram and Gramp’s. No toys, no treats. If we asked once, politely, and behaved ourselves for the entire shopping trip we usually got to choose between a small toy or a treat like a milkshake or ice cream cone.
Discipline is a matter of being consistant. Decide what you will and won’t allow, and then stick to it. My mother-in-law thought it was her right to spoil my kids, and then she had the audacity to try to give me money, so I could spoil them for HER when she wasn’t around. (Quarters to ride the mechanical horse & other toys like that.) I figured my sons could understand that when grandma came, they got a few special privileges, but I wasn’t going to take the time each time we went shopping to allow them to ride on the machines.
For the most part I agree that we are not disciplining however as someone else pointed out sometimes it’s not so straight forward.
For example my daughter has sensory issues (don’t roll your eyes please) it exists. She is unable to handle loud noises and bright lights. In our opinionated world she has been called a drama queen at the dentist (bright lights and noisy drill), the hairdresser jokes that she is full of sugar when she finds it hard to sit there (the smock itches her as well as the hair falling on her skin and she finds it uncomfortable, the hairdryer is too loud) and I’ve had stares at the supermarket (bright lights). She doesn’t scream like Autistic children will but it makes her uncomfortable and also at times overstimulates her. BTW the vacuum cleaner and toilet flushing bother her too. She can flush the toilet but has to run out of the bathroom immediately.
I often take several kids to the store with me. We have a game: If a stranger feels compelled to compliment them on their behavior they get a treat. This is call a compliment treat. It is amazing how many strangers compliment a group of well behaved kids. I have had them at fast food joints and had strangers come up and compliment their behavior.
I have had goodwill worker and wallmart workers come up and thank me for making them behave.
The secret is in what will win the reward for the kids.
ARF, ARF……stick to your animals, seems that humans are too much for you. Incidentally, I never said I hated animals either, but I suppose that exagerations are your forte.
Interesting that two such oposite personalities should like the same comic strips.
@DewSolo, if your kids are grown up, how did they turn out? Their reactions were so different - I’d expect them to be really different people. To keep the money (and, I suppose, to put it away and save it for a while) can only be done by someone who can plan for the future. Kids usually don’t do that.
@FishStix, I don’t see any reason for not raising your kids to be well-behaved. So what if it’s not fashionable! The key, as @Quaby and @Rmom said, is to be consistent.
And @ireg shows a way of getting them to behave using positive reinforcement, which is much better than using punishments - not that you can always find such a method.
When I was in a supermarket and I heard a young kid screaming (say, under 5 years old), my reaction was always “Nap time! Somebody needs a nap!” I had learned to recognize that special tone in the crying that means discipline and reasonableness won’t work. Just finish your errands as fast as possible, take them home, and put them to sleep for a while.
@BigHug, I would dearly love to know how old your daughter is now and how she is handling the problems she has (had?) with her over-sensitive senses. You see, I had (and mostly still have) similar problems. I got no sympathy - people said I was playing at being a “drama Queen”.
It has affected many things in my life, both large and small, usually for the worse. Once I tried to take an exercise class. The amplifier for the loudspeaker for the music was 4 feet high. I barely got thru one class, and then I quit.
Most people like sounds way louder than I can tolerate. I finally learned to put cotton in my ears when I go to a movie or a concert. Or the supermarket. Or most boutiques. This takes the edge off the sound and makes it bearable.
Finally, @howtheduck, let me share some of what I know about changes of pressure in airplanes (inside and outside the ear). You seem to imply that it only bothers children, so I guess it doesn’t bother you - you are lucky.
The advice I have seen is to chew gum or to suck on a candy. In both cases this stimulates you to swallow, which acts to equalize the pressure. Or, you can just put your fingers in your ears to close them off, and then swallow. This is another way to fix it.
I hope this information is useful. It may not be a good idea for small children to put a candy in their mouth - they might choke.
My daughter is 7. She is super sensitive to sound which makes school a challenge. She is currently going through the process of seeing an OT. Her problems are neurological so it is possible that she can outgrow most of it by the time she is 12. The brain is still developing. These years before she can get a handle on it and learn how to cope better will be a challenge.
I’m also not a big fan of the bribery approach. In my opinion that just makes kids expect something every time they go shopping. I’d like to have my daughter behave because she should, not because there is a carrot dangling in front of her.
I prepare my daughter before we go and say she will not get a treat. I’m not nasty. I will periodically get her a treat but not all the time. When she gets antsy I put her to work by choosing produce , getting the groceries for me and placing them in the cart. She also helps with the packing too. That way she’s distracted and moving. We have a list and go in and out as quickly as possible.
Vicki, as you see Burgundy2 say, I tend to express myself somewhat forcefully. I find that words that beat around the bush, don’t successfully convey a point, so I learned to be blunt. I know that’s all you were doing too about the dog slobber.
I just love animals. I love children too. I tend to rush to the defense of the defenseless, whatever their species.
Truce accepted : )
Thank you. A wonderful weekend to you too.
I was taught to respect my parents, not embarrass them.. I was forewarned a few times, “Behave or we won’t take you again.” Yes, both my parents believed in corporal punishment. I guess they learned that when they got their PHDs in Child Psychology.
Back when I was a young child (about 30-35 years ago), my sister and I were perfectly well-behaved whenever my mother drug us around to places we didn’t want to go (like the bank and grocery store) — not because we were bribed into behaving with toys or sweet treats as a reward … but because we were severely threatened with punishment if we didn’t. My father was a strict, and I mean strict disciplinarian. One of my mother’s favorite sentences back then had to have been “Just wait until we get home and I tell your dad what you did/said!” Believe me, back in those days, parents weren’t looked on with scorn for making their kids behave in public like they are today … they were looked on with scorn if they didn’t! Just the very thought of being spanked by my dad when we got home was more than enough to make us behave like angels, that’s for sure!
While I think my father’s punishments were probably a little harsher than they should have been at times, I don’t really consider them as particularly abusive. Back then, kids got spanked when they misbehaved and nobody thought anything of it; that’s just what good, responsible parents did … unlike some of today’s parents who don’t believe in saying “No” to anything (like Elly), and just let their kids run amok because they’re too busy talking or texting on their cell phones to be bothered with parenting and having respect for everyone around them. Or maybe they just automatically tune the screaming out because they hear it so much that it simply doesn’t register with them anymore.
I could not afford and did not buy things for the kids while shopping when they were small (in the 60s) but they went sometimes with their (very small) allowance to the local 5 & dime. I went with when they were really small, but it was safe. I taught them to manage the little money they had and not to misbehave- and they ate at restaurants from babies on my lap (lots of bouncing) and from then on… but never misbehaved there. They would not have wanted to stay with my X-MIL while we went out;-)
And… SOO many comments… and yes, this strip appeals to many different types - just about everyone who has raised a family! That’s what makes it good enough to do it a second time around;-)
Violence leads to more violence. I understand that sometimes kids must go along for food or medicine, even if good behavior is not a certainty. That said, when kids act up and won’t stop, they should be removed from the situation as quickly as possible. That is a natural consequence for them. Kids’ misbehavior is not a cause for or an excuse for violence against children.
The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any. (Fred Astaire)
If a store or restaurant caters to families I expect to see some misbehavior from children, these are places where they are taught to behave in public and children are children. This does not mean I approve of the misbehavior. Most parents who have a choice leave their children behind when they can if they think it is going to be a problem.
The public behavior that often irritates me the most is the behavior of the adults, both the parents and the other adults present. If you want to avoid children that aren’t yours acting out consider shopping later in the evening or early in the morning. And be an example, if the child is yelling do not yell back, etc.
I agree that it is inappropriate to keep your child/children in a setting such as a nice restaurant where people are going to relax if your child is misbehaving and you cannot get them to behave. If we are to expect tolerance for the occasional misbehavior most children display, we should make the effort to let people enjoy themselves in such places without the distraction of misbehaving children.
BTW if you notice someone trying to deal with a cranky child or something in one of the places that you would expect it a sympathetic smile can really help more than you know.
No trolls on this thread as far as I can see :P (unless there are comments removed that I’ve missed).
My aunt had a problem with her oldest son (a year older than me) being bratty, she often got the evil eye and even comments from fellow citizens. Her 2 younger girls never acted up like he did.
Then a few years later this lady came up to her and apologized for the looks - she had now a son who acted up and now understood it wasn’t a question of upbringing.
My cousin’s doing fine, a manager of an arts festival and teaches part time in the Iceland Academy of the Arts, has 2 lovely, well behaved daughters - and a bratty son…
Seems like a couple of days ago Elly was getting it for saying no & not letting Michael decide who the babysitter was going to be – today she gets it for not saying no. Gosh what’s a parent to do to please all the people all the time? I’m very thankful I never had kids and never had to listen to all those who knew better than I how to raise ‘em.
ejcapulet over 14 years ago
Mine blurted response is “not if you nag.” I’m such a stickler that it always works.
Deanna175 over 14 years ago
Kids always seem to know just how to work the parents.
lewisbower over 14 years ago
The louder the better. Wonder why nobody wants me to babysit?
pearlandpeach over 14 years ago
when i said we’ll see they learned it was a no.
ignoring the begging went right along with that, too.
lightenup Premium Member over 14 years ago
I tell mine that if they can buy it themselves, they can have it. Otherwise, they can ask for it for a birthday or Christmas.
Wow, FishStix, I guess all mothers and kids should stay at home at all times. Kids can be good most of the time, but you never know when they’re going to get tired, whiny, demanding, etc. and it usually seems to be in public. Part of growing up is learning how to act in public. I guess you’re still learning. Seriously now, that was just rude.
klamarre over 14 years ago
And how are we to “leave the brats at home”?
My daughter has, mostly, learned that if she is a pest the answer will be no. If she behaves herself the she might get something special, but not always, and sometimes the something special is getting to pick the cereal.
Dewsolo over 14 years ago
Is fishstix volunteering to watch my kids while I shop?
Sometime, many times, a mom has no choice but to take the kids along when she shops. And like lightenup said, sometimes they get tired and whiny. So do grown ups, but most of us have learned to be civilized in public.
Ellie does need to learn to be more assertive, but Micheal sure has her figured out.
One way to handle shopping with little kids is before you go into the store, tell them that if they are patient while you do the shopping, when you are done, they can do some shopping of their own, then give them a dollar (or how ever much you want) that they can spend as they choose. One of my kids nearly always pocketed the dollar, the other usually saved it for the the crane machine, but occasionally they bought a couple candy bars or some really cheap toy.
freeholder1 over 14 years ago
Old story: a Christian family counselor was in a restaurant with his family. the youngest child starting act up, misbehaving, doing all the brat things children do to test the parent. The counselor picked the kid up, carried him out of the store. He said, “I was tempted to jam him into the open trash bin and go back to my meal, but i kept telling myself, ‘No, you’re a counselor. That wouldn’t be right.” So he took him out of the store to the car while the family and everyone else finished in peace and quiet. And kids can be very well mannered if you don’t eat at MacDonalds or shop Wal-Mart. Wally world seems to kill everyone’s manners when you walk in the door. Usually when they walk through the EXIT door no less.
keltii over 14 years ago
my kids did the brat thing once,, they each had a toy in the cart they wanted but were still acting up majorly,, so i grabbed thier hands and walked right out of walmart leaving the cart right there,,, they never acted out again.
JanLC over 14 years ago
When my son was small, we took him grocery shopping with us and warned him ahead of time that if he started acting up and demanding treats, he would go out and sit alone in the car. He, of course, had to test us so he started in with the “gimmies” and a tantrum. His dad took him out to the car, strapped him into the car seat and shut the door. (He stayed nearby, just not where he could be seen). Mike never did it again.
And BTW FishStix, Hear! Hear!
Quabaculta over 14 years ago
When my son was little BiLo used to give the kids a cookie when you dropped by the bakery. Pretty soon it was ‘want cookie’ the moment we walked into the store. I told him if he was good he’d get the cookie when we get there. One day he decided he wanted to push the envelope and kept crying ‘want cookie’ and making it sound like I was beating him up. I told him, sternly, “If you don’t quiet down you will not get a cookie”. Well, he kept it up, I hurriedly finished shopping and walked right past the bakery counter. Naturally he had quieted when he saw the bakery, but when i sailed right past it he had this thunderstruck look on his face’ Want Cookie!’ I told him, ‘I told you to quiet down or no cookie. You didn’t quiet down. No cookie’. There was much wimpering and wailing and pouting, but it wasn’t as loud a ruckus as it had been. The next time we came in he said ‘want cookie’ I said ‘behave and you’ll get it when we get to the cookies’. Other than usual commentary about the packages designed to draw kids to them and such he was quiet, and when we got to the bakery he looked up at me and I said ‘Yes, you get a cookie’. He munched happily and I never had any trouble out of him concerning the cookie.
Bottom line…..say what you mean and mean what you say. If you say ‘if this behavior then this consequence’ FOLLOW THROUGH. Kids can learn.
jaeldid66 over 14 years ago
Rule in our house: “If you ask, you don’t get.” Sometimes we got him a surprise, but never ever if he asked for it.
cjgs1943 over 14 years ago
I totally agree with fishstix. If you can’t control your bratty kids, then do not go to the store or restaurant. Those of us that look upon eating out as a special treat don’t want to hear whiny bratty kids whose parents haven’t learned how to raise their kids. Just stay home!
Wildmustang1262 over 14 years ago
I have seen while I work at Wal Mart like that. Geez! (Roll my eyes up/down!)
-DukeNukem- over 14 years ago
This woman is thrown into a tizzy by every little thing. The kids are being normal kids, but the mother is the one throwing the big fit in the middle of the store instead of telling them that they can have something small if they behave. Instead of being used to these things, she’s always caught completely off guard.
RevAllyson over 14 years ago
It isn’t always possible to leave the kids at home. Even with my large family (five adults), everyone works. While I try not to take the kids shopping or to restaurants when they are whiney, sometimes you just have no choice. Point in fact, I had to pick up a prescription for whiney brat #1, and had no one to watch either of our kids. Did I want to take my sick kid into Wallyworld? Not on your life. I had no choice. No Walmart, no prescription, means more problems all over. I went in, got the script, got out. And I still got dirty looks.
Know what? Bug off. I don’t take them to fancy restaurants to disturb your meal. It’s freakin’ wallyworld. Geez.
boxbabies over 14 years ago
My brother and I learned this type of behavior only got us deposited at Gram and Gramp’s. No toys, no treats. If we asked once, politely, and behaved ourselves for the entire shopping trip we usually got to choose between a small toy or a treat like a milkshake or ice cream cone.
powerPuppet over 14 years ago
kids dun like it when you yell,
Smiley Rmom over 14 years ago
Discipline is a matter of being consistant. Decide what you will and won’t allow, and then stick to it. My mother-in-law thought it was her right to spoil my kids, and then she had the audacity to try to give me money, so I could spoil them for HER when she wasn’t around. (Quarters to ride the mechanical horse & other toys like that.) I figured my sons could understand that when grandma came, they got a few special privileges, but I wasn’t going to take the time each time we went shopping to allow them to ride on the machines.
BigHug over 14 years ago
For the most part I agree that we are not disciplining however as someone else pointed out sometimes it’s not so straight forward.
For example my daughter has sensory issues (don’t roll your eyes please) it exists. She is unable to handle loud noises and bright lights. In our opinionated world she has been called a drama queen at the dentist (bright lights and noisy drill), the hairdresser jokes that she is full of sugar when she finds it hard to sit there (the smock itches her as well as the hair falling on her skin and she finds it uncomfortable, the hairdryer is too loud) and I’ve had stares at the supermarket (bright lights). She doesn’t scream like Autistic children will but it makes her uncomfortable and also at times overstimulates her. BTW the vacuum cleaner and toilet flushing bother her too. She can flush the toilet but has to run out of the bathroom immediately.
Just a different perspective on my “little brat.”
ireg over 14 years ago
I often take several kids to the store with me. We have a game: If a stranger feels compelled to compliment them on their behavior they get a treat. This is call a compliment treat. It is amazing how many strangers compliment a group of well behaved kids. I have had them at fast food joints and had strangers come up and compliment their behavior.
I have had goodwill worker and wallmart workers come up and thank me for making them behave.
The secret is in what will win the reward for the kids.
vickimarme over 14 years ago
mrslukeskywalker,
ARF, ARF……stick to your animals, seems that humans are too much for you. Incidentally, I never said I hated animals either, but I suppose that exagerations are your forte.
Interesting that two such oposite personalities should like the same comic strips.
Enjoy your day.
RinaFarina over 14 years ago
@DewSolo, if your kids are grown up, how did they turn out? Their reactions were so different - I’d expect them to be really different people. To keep the money (and, I suppose, to put it away and save it for a while) can only be done by someone who can plan for the future. Kids usually don’t do that.
@FishStix, I don’t see any reason for not raising your kids to be well-behaved. So what if it’s not fashionable! The key, as @Quaby and @Rmom said, is to be consistent.
And @ireg shows a way of getting them to behave using positive reinforcement, which is much better than using punishments - not that you can always find such a method.
When I was in a supermarket and I heard a young kid screaming (say, under 5 years old), my reaction was always “Nap time! Somebody needs a nap!” I had learned to recognize that special tone in the crying that means discipline and reasonableness won’t work. Just finish your errands as fast as possible, take them home, and put them to sleep for a while.
mrslukeskywalker over 14 years ago
You bark and attack everyone in sight, and your children slobber. Interesting.
kit_jefferson over 14 years ago
During the 1950’s parents would buy at supermarketsa toy made in Japan from American beer cans for the then lordly sum of five or ten cents.
mroberts88 over 14 years ago
mrslukeskywalker, I agree.
Burgundy2, putting the cart back can be fun. If you’re smart, and ride it back, that is.
RinaFarina over 14 years ago
@BigHug, I would dearly love to know how old your daughter is now and how she is handling the problems she has (had?) with her over-sensitive senses. You see, I had (and mostly still have) similar problems. I got no sympathy - people said I was playing at being a “drama Queen”.
It has affected many things in my life, both large and small, usually for the worse. Once I tried to take an exercise class. The amplifier for the loudspeaker for the music was 4 feet high. I barely got thru one class, and then I quit.
Most people like sounds way louder than I can tolerate. I finally learned to put cotton in my ears when I go to a movie or a concert. Or the supermarket. Or most boutiques. This takes the edge off the sound and makes it bearable.
RinaFarina over 14 years ago
Finally, @howtheduck, let me share some of what I know about changes of pressure in airplanes (inside and outside the ear). You seem to imply that it only bothers children, so I guess it doesn’t bother you - you are lucky.
The advice I have seen is to chew gum or to suck on a candy. In both cases this stimulates you to swallow, which acts to equalize the pressure. Or, you can just put your fingers in your ears to close them off, and then swallow. This is another way to fix it.
I hope this information is useful. It may not be a good idea for small children to put a candy in their mouth - they might choke.
vickimarme over 14 years ago
mrslukeskiwalker,
Touche….time to extend the olive branch. I never meant for this to get so out of hand, but you made a good point with your last comment.
Sorry for my rudeness. I really do hope that you have a good day, and a great weekend.
BigHug over 14 years ago
@RinaFarina
My daughter is 7. She is super sensitive to sound which makes school a challenge. She is currently going through the process of seeing an OT. Her problems are neurological so it is possible that she can outgrow most of it by the time she is 12. The brain is still developing. These years before she can get a handle on it and learn how to cope better will be a challenge.
mroberts88 over 14 years ago
Burgundy2, yeah, thats always fun.
If a kid has special needs, and doesnt know any better, any amount of discipline wount work. However, if a child does, discipline may work.
Its situational, there is no “everything works” for this situation. Go with what works best, and until it stops working, use it.
BigHug over 14 years ago
I’m also not a big fan of the bribery approach. In my opinion that just makes kids expect something every time they go shopping. I’d like to have my daughter behave because she should, not because there is a carrot dangling in front of her.
I prepare my daughter before we go and say she will not get a treat. I’m not nasty. I will periodically get her a treat but not all the time. When she gets antsy I put her to work by choosing produce , getting the groceries for me and placing them in the cart. She also helps with the packing too. That way she’s distracted and moving. We have a list and go in and out as quickly as possible.
mrslukeskywalker over 14 years ago
Vicki, as you see Burgundy2 say, I tend to express myself somewhat forcefully. I find that words that beat around the bush, don’t successfully convey a point, so I learned to be blunt. I know that’s all you were doing too about the dog slobber.
I just love animals. I love children too. I tend to rush to the defense of the defenseless, whatever their species.
Truce accepted : ) Thank you. A wonderful weekend to you too.
lewisbower over 14 years ago
I was taught to respect my parents, not embarrass them.. I was forewarned a few times, “Behave or we won’t take you again.” Yes, both my parents believed in corporal punishment. I guess they learned that when they got their PHDs in Child Psychology.
Gretchen's Mom over 14 years ago
This statement is NO LIE …
Back when I was a young child (about 30-35 years ago), my sister and I were perfectly well-behaved whenever my mother drug us around to places we didn’t want to go (like the bank and grocery store) — not because we were bribed into behaving with toys or sweet treats as a reward … but because we were severely threatened with punishment if we didn’t. My father was a strict, and I mean strict disciplinarian. One of my mother’s favorite sentences back then had to have been “Just wait until we get home and I tell your dad what you did/said!” Believe me, back in those days, parents weren’t looked on with scorn for making their kids behave in public like they are today … they were looked on with scorn if they didn’t! Just the very thought of being spanked by my dad when we got home was more than enough to make us behave like angels, that’s for sure!
While I think my father’s punishments were probably a little harsher than they should have been at times, I don’t really consider them as particularly abusive. Back then, kids got spanked when they misbehaved and nobody thought anything of it; that’s just what good, responsible parents did … unlike some of today’s parents who don’t believe in saying “No” to anything (like Elly), and just let their kids run amok because they’re too busy talking or texting on their cell phones to be bothered with parenting and having respect for everyone around them. Or maybe they just automatically tune the screaming out because they hear it so much that it simply doesn’t register with them anymore.
mrslukeskywalker over 14 years ago
Hi BFF! I have nothing else to do today as you can tell, lol. I’ve been sick, so…
I would love to talk to you off of here, because you know how it is here!
I had your back with rtt470, now I’m getting it too.
vldazzle over 14 years ago
I could not afford and did not buy things for the kids while shopping when they were small (in the 60s) but they went sometimes with their (very small) allowance to the local 5 & dime. I went with when they were really small, but it was safe. I taught them to manage the little money they had and not to misbehave- and they ate at restaurants from babies on my lap (lots of bouncing) and from then on… but never misbehaved there. They would not have wanted to stay with my X-MIL while we went out;-)
vldazzle over 14 years ago
And… SOO many comments… and yes, this strip appeals to many different types - just about everyone who has raised a family! That’s what makes it good enough to do it a second time around;-)
LadybugMacon over 14 years ago
I don’t see how anyone can handle more than one child at a time. Why do you want more than one.
Reddheadd over 14 years ago
Violence leads to more violence. I understand that sometimes kids must go along for food or medicine, even if good behavior is not a certainty. That said, when kids act up and won’t stop, they should be removed from the situation as quickly as possible. That is a natural consequence for them. Kids’ misbehavior is not a cause for or an excuse for violence against children.
Ooops! Premium Member over 14 years ago
The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any. (Fred Astaire)
If a store or restaurant caters to families I expect to see some misbehavior from children, these are places where they are taught to behave in public and children are children. This does not mean I approve of the misbehavior. Most parents who have a choice leave their children behind when they can if they think it is going to be a problem.
The public behavior that often irritates me the most is the behavior of the adults, both the parents and the other adults present. If you want to avoid children that aren’t yours acting out consider shopping later in the evening or early in the morning. And be an example, if the child is yelling do not yell back, etc.
I agree that it is inappropriate to keep your child/children in a setting such as a nice restaurant where people are going to relax if your child is misbehaving and you cannot get them to behave. If we are to expect tolerance for the occasional misbehavior most children display, we should make the effort to let people enjoy themselves in such places without the distraction of misbehaving children.
BTW if you notice someone trying to deal with a cranky child or something in one of the places that you would expect it a sympathetic smile can really help more than you know.
littledutchboy over 14 years ago
I wonder who the cyber-troll is??
COWBOY7 over 14 years ago
Hello LuvH8!
COWBOY7 over 14 years ago
Who’s the Cyber Troll, Littledutchboy?
hildigunnurr Premium Member over 14 years ago
No trolls on this thread as far as I can see :P (unless there are comments removed that I’ve missed).
My aunt had a problem with her oldest son (a year older than me) being bratty, she often got the evil eye and even comments from fellow citizens. Her 2 younger girls never acted up like he did.
Then a few years later this lady came up to her and apologized for the looks - she had now a son who acted up and now understood it wasn’t a question of upbringing.
My cousin’s doing fine, a manager of an arts festival and teaches part time in the Iceland Academy of the Arts, has 2 lovely, well behaved daughters - and a bratty son…
JanLC over 14 years ago
Lonewolf, unfortunately some of us consider anyone with an opinion contrary to ours a cybertroll. Fortunately for us, GoComics knows the difference.
Ooops! Premium Member over 14 years ago
Hello Lonewolf! ( ;
lindz.coop Premium Member over 14 years ago
Seems like a couple of days ago Elly was getting it for saying no & not letting Michael decide who the babysitter was going to be – today she gets it for not saying no. Gosh what’s a parent to do to please all the people all the time? I’m very thankful I never had kids and never had to listen to all those who knew better than I how to raise ‘em.
feefers_ 9 months ago
We’ll see in my childhood was a delayed no!