So, have you ever noticed the interesting discipline that goes on in Doctor's office wating rooms. This morning, we waited an hour for the doctor to rule out an ear infection (no infection...and no expanation as to why my child has been waking up once or twice the last several nights!) But the longer we waited, the more amused I was by the parents. There were all boys in the waiting room. And there were 2 more boys than there were little toy cars. So every parent kept insisting that their child share, while not very much actual sharing was happening at all. It was ridiculously easy to tell which mother had a clue about discipline. The tone of her voice said that she expected to be obeyed and her children actually did what they were asked to do right away, without argument. The other parents, asked and reminded, and warned, and pleaded, and reasoned, and argued, and practically begged their children to do what they asked, and the kids had absolutely no intention of doing it at all. The really funny part was watching how that behavior seemed to effect the parent knowing that they had an audience. They got embarassed, and then they got more manipulative with their kids to try to prove to the other parents that they really did know how to control their own children. Too late! If you don't require that your kids obey you at home, it is really funny to watch you try to convince them to obey you in public. Those poor parents would have looked less foolish if they had completely ignored their kid and pretended they were someone else's!
Posts
