Things to remember

"Raising a child who possesses high other-regard simply requires that parents do what our great-grandparents did. They put their marriages first, not their kids. They gave their children all that they truly needed and very little of what they simply wanted. They assigned daily chores from age three on. They expected their children to always do their best, in whatever setting. Their beds were for adults only. They rarely helped their kids with their homework. They did not serve them individualized dinners. Family came first, not after-school activities. And so on. This parenting paradigm is as workable today as it was when I was a child"

John Rosemond

I am such a firm believer in this. I cannot handle entitlement by parents and by kids. Raising a world of brats. You have kids not being potty trained until they are 3 or four because "they're not ready." Well... they're kids. It's not a choice and since when does a kid get to make grown up choices and decide what's good for themselves? Kids who have excuses for not doing homework. PARENTAL given excuses. Kids have excuses for hitting other kids. Really, if your kid is old enough to walk, talk, eat, and play, they are old enough to share and be nice. End of story. So many parents complain about how their kids won't. WHATTTTTT?!?!?!?!

They won't what? THey won't eat dinner? Uh then you starve. There is no "we only have 8 choices because that's all you eat". Sorry Junior, your choice today is TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT. And they won't wear certain things? Well my daughter learned real quick that we wear what's appropriate. So if it's rainy you don't wear a bathing suit. It's not a choice. Just like riding in a car seat is not a choice. Throwing a fit will get you nothing. Wearing shoes to the store is not a choice. Being "good" is expected and not rewarded with piles of toys. In my house you behave or you will find a very sad option to not behaving. There is no toy buying for potty training. Above and beyond achievement is recognized and rewarded, being a good person is expected. My house, my very well behaved children. I may not be the norm when it comes to parenting today, but guess what, my children will not thank me at 25 that I acknowledge their feelings when they were 2 versus who they would be their whole lives long.

Even today, at my daughter's class, a parent went up to the teacher and asked if their daughter could be given more challenging work. Because she is so smart and needs to be challenged. Um.... these guys are FOUR. And they are there for 3 hours, twice a week. How about, as a parent, you buy your kid a big fat book of kindergarten readiness and on the other 5 days of the week, YOU challenge them. We are our kids teachers first. I am responsible for my kids. And what they know. Their manners, their language, their skills. Why is it okay to let your child run amuck and then turn them over to a school and expect the school to instill values and manners and lesson of society that you should have been all along? Because people are entitled to do as they please and that is why our nation will soon be governed by brats.

Off my soapbox.