Wow… this thread has really taken on a life of its own! Not that I’m complaining.. I enjoy reading all the different points of view on a given subject. With that in mind, I’ll throw in my 2 cents.
I believe in letting kids be kids in public… to a point. We’ve all seen the screaming child in the supermarket and the distressed parent trying to calm them down or beating a hasty retreat, whatever the case may be. I can only imagine that this must be as hard on the parent to experience as the observer! But kids are kids and these instances can and will occur. It’s my opinion that it is the responsibility of parents to instill boundaries of behavior with their kids early on. Allowing a child to misbehave and be disruptive in public is unfair not only to those around them, but to the child themselves. It sets a precedent that it’s okay to behave that way and it can only get worse from there. Unfortunately, there are parents who choose not to discipline their children in and out of the home. I believe that’s how you end up with out of control kids/teenagers/adults. |