Does Anyone Have Control Anymore?

Just the other day, I was watching the evening news and saw a story that just floored me. It made me wonder, "What is wrong with these people?"

The news story was about something new called a "TV Cart". It's a shopping cart that has a TV in it for kids. Now, I ask you - what is the reason for this?

I've checked out other blogs and stories about these TV Carts, and everyone pretty much has the same idea: "It makes my child behave for me while I shop." Here's an idea: How about YOU make them behave? One man even stated during his interview with the news reporter, "It's better than them run around the store and me having to chase them."

WHAT?!?!?! And this person is a parent, having been trusted with the job of bringing up a responsible citizen? SCARY!

What ever happened to PARENTING? How about actually EXPECTING your child to behave in the first place? No wonder we have a load of kids who can't sit still for 5 minutes and can't entertain themselves to save their lives! If they can't stay with you, then strap them into the seat of the cart and set some pretty daunting consequences if they unbuckle and try to climb out. If it happens - so what? - enforce the consequence. If the consequence was strong enough to begin with, I can pretty much guarantee you it won't happen the next time you shop. If they don't like the seat, they will learn to stay with you or find themselves riding in the seat anyway.

It seems that so many parents are letting their kids run the show. If little Johnny wants it, he gets it because it's the only way to keep him from throwing a fit. Being a mother of a very temperamental Bi-Polar child myself, I can attest to the embarrassment of sitting on the floor in the middle of the aisle at Tom Thumb with my arms and legs wrapped around my fit-throwing child. However, I stuck with it - and low and behold, he stopped because he wanted to get up - he didn't want to sit on the floor with me! He realized that I wasn't moving until he stopped and controlled himself. THEN we moved on as if nothing had ever happened. Of course, he suffered consequences at home as a result. (Taking over Mom's chores while she sits down and reads a book for most of the day Saturday is not much fun! Especially when he could have been outside playing with friends) Moral of the story? It never happened again. Go figure.

"Gee, you mean if I actually expect my child to behave and enforce it as if I'M really the BOSS, it will make them behave?" WOW! What a novel idea.

How about parents being parents (we make the rules and enforce the behavior), and children being children (they follow the rules or suffer the consequences). None of this wishy-washy stuff. Parents these days need to find their spines and take their kids in hand.

Christy