Public discipline….

Have you ever disciplined your child in the public? Or in the presence of other people? Or are you too concerned about ‘embarrassing your child’ since you knew how you felt when you were disciplined in the public?

I suppose we all have our own interpretations of what is acceptable and what is not. I happened to be one who had been disciplined in the public, wrongfully for that matter.

It was embarrassing for me at that time and my pride got hurt of course. Looking back, though, it prepared me to better handle public exchanges, in adulthood, so I will not be too overly fragile.

Conversely, I find that people who had never been corrected in the public because their parents shielded them from reality due to the parent’s own discomfort, are highly fragile if there were any public disagreements. Everyone around such individuals would have to be extremely conscientious not to say anything that might hurt the individual. Such individuals will eventually become isolated because of the  ‘high maintenance’.

Children know that the public space is where the battle of wills always get their opposition weakened. They know that most of the time they win. They will choose to act up in the public space because they know they have the upper hand.

So because of your own discomfort, you, the parent, have lost the battle even before it started and the self declared unrestrained victor become the possible ‘terror’ in schools, later in work places and communities.

Interestingly, i have not heard any children crying in my apartment complex and there are at least 3 of them under 5 and some from 5 to 12. I am wondering if it is because parents are making every effort, their housekeepers too, to prevent the children from having crying moments – scary thought.

A group of adults giving in to a bunch of kids, so that they laugh and are happy….such myopic view of parenting, dealing with immediate picture and ignoring the long term impact.

Parents you are responsible for the next generation’s contribution to the greater good of human kind. What is your legacy?