I learned that at age 0

            As I sat at a stoplight and observed a woman who was walking throw her trash onto the ground as she was finished with it, I was appalled.  It isn’t often that another grown person saddens me, but her action did. As I sat and became more disgusted with the fact that she is what we refer to in our household as a “litterbug,” I thought about everything that her parents neglected to teach her and once again, breathed a sigh of relief in what my parents did instill in me. I’m quite sure that I was taught to take care of my trash at…oh…age 0! My mom did allow me to live in my own pigsty of a bedroom, however I wasn’t allowed to leave a mess anywhere in the rest of the house, let alone in public. I would have had my butt swatted so fast if I would have thrown trash out of the car window or dropped my gum wrapper along a sidewalk, and there it is…NO DISCIPLINE.

            Forgive me for frequently re-visiting this topic, but my spankings as a child are still held very near and dear to my heart! I don’t want to bash any parents by some of the things I will say, but remember…this is solely my opinion.

1. Empty threats throughout a child’s lifetime set them up for an adulthood being un-accepting of consequences. I’m sure you can think of someone who fits into this category. It is NEVER his/her own fault…and if they do accept a portion of the responsibility for their action, it is always justifiable! C’mon parents…you are the big person, your child is the little person. If you say you’re going to spank them, SPANK THEM. If you say you’re going to take their toy away….TAKE IT AWAY!

2. Kids throw fits. Often. And yes, it can be very embarrassing, especially when you’re somewhere and every other kid seems to be acting like perfection! Don’t give in…let them throw a fit. Again, you’re the big person, your child is the little person…you do not need to buy them candy every time you go to the grocery store just so they’ll be quiet. Giving in now only reinforces the fact that the more often they throw a fit, the more often they will, indeed get ANYTHING THEY WANT! I promise you, the less you give into these fits and melt-downs, the less they will occur…eventually!

3. It’s okay to say no. We, as adults, do not get everything that we want…neither should a child. I realize that it’s often very hard to say no, especially when you have the means to “give your child more than you had,” but it’s good for them. I never believed my parents when they said this to me, but it’s true. Saying no to a new toy will NOT scar a child for life, saying yes to every request WILL give your child a sense of entitlement. This is rarely a good thing.

            There, I’ve said it. Yes, there are millions of more parenting techniques that I live by, but these were the three main ones on my mind tonight. Don’t be mad, and if you are…oh well, I’ll post something a little lighter tomorrow!