Untouchable Kids Everything here revolves around kids. At first sight there is seemingly nothing wrong at all with this picture, and someone like me coming to this country as the new kid on the block might wonder what it is like in reality. I had absolutely no clue whatsoever until that day back in summer of 2006. My husband and I had been out all day shopping at various places.
As we got to a local Ocean Job Lots store, I witnessed the following incident. A child maybe five or six started to throw a massive temper tantrum and subsequently ended up rolling on the floor and kicking the crap out of ... well nothing. The whole staff were on their toes, but weirdly enough not one person raised their voice or attempted to intervene. Okay, I thought to myself, where on earth is the mother to that spoilt rotten brat? I spotted her standing a few feet behind her seizure- fit child almost as if she was trying to remain unnoticed. I addressed that young and visibly over- whelmed mum asking her to do something to stop that maniac screaming. You believe this, she asked that little pest to follow her outside not even daring to touch her! I turned to my husband in absolute disbelief. "Why is she not just grabbing this freaking mini terrorist and dragging her out the store?" -
"Oh no!", he shook his head. "You cannot do this here." - "Say what?" I inquired fairly irritatedly. "Here you go to jail if you grab and spank your child publicly." - "Is that right?" I couldn't help turning cynical. "Yeah, nothing like that. Kids have all the rights in the world here, and this you'd better accept right away." I could tell that he was being cynical now as well, but as I was eventually figuring out myself within the next couple of years, he was absolutely right. In this country children are pampered, raised with kids' gloves and spoilt like royalties. Just incredible! One can definitely overdo it, but what is practiced here is clearly overdue for a change. In Europe we love our kids a lot too- to pieces or to death I'd like to question but anyways enough to claim that there is in fact nothing more precious than our sweet off- spring. But - and that is the major difference to here- we do touch or should I say grab our kids if they disobey, and yes we do spank them if necessary. And you know what, the occasional smack on the rear end does not really hurt or psychologically scar anyone for life. Just on the contrary, I'd like to state that European kids are way less spoilt than their American peers. Down the road those kids are generally fitter for life with all its highs and lows and further more less likely in need of mind altering substances, shrinks or other crutches.
However by being raised as idolized untouchables, unfortunately lots and lots of kids will never learn to apply the right set of tools in life to determine who they truly are. People, please lift your children off those stupid pedestals and rip them out of this unnatural vacuum. What you do with your child or children should be your very own and private business and by no means threatened by third parties such as child protection, psychologists, police or court -of course, only as long as you don't intentionally harm or abuse anyone. Kids, as has been proven time and time again, do need clear boundaries, clever guidance and plenty of love. The so- called Laissez- Faire style has repeatedly failed in other parts of the world. It is about time that the news made the round here too at last.
Get back to me, and let me know what you think about this.
As we got to a local Ocean Job Lots store, I witnessed the following incident. A child maybe five or six started to throw a massive temper tantrum and subsequently ended up rolling on the floor and kicking the crap out of ... well nothing. The whole staff were on their toes, but weirdly enough not one person raised their voice or attempted to intervene. Okay, I thought to myself, where on earth is the mother to that spoilt rotten brat? I spotted her standing a few feet behind her seizure- fit child almost as if she was trying to remain unnoticed. I addressed that young and visibly over- whelmed mum asking her to do something to stop that maniac screaming. You believe this, she asked that little pest to follow her outside not even daring to touch her! I turned to my husband in absolute disbelief. "Why is she not just grabbing this freaking mini terrorist and dragging her out the store?" -
"Oh no!", he shook his head. "You cannot do this here." - "Say what?" I inquired fairly irritatedly. "Here you go to jail if you grab and spank your child publicly." - "Is that right?" I couldn't help turning cynical. "Yeah, nothing like that. Kids have all the rights in the world here, and this you'd better accept right away." I could tell that he was being cynical now as well, but as I was eventually figuring out myself within the next couple of years, he was absolutely right. In this country children are pampered, raised with kids' gloves and spoilt like royalties. Just incredible! One can definitely overdo it, but what is practiced here is clearly overdue for a change. In Europe we love our kids a lot too- to pieces or to death I'd like to question but anyways enough to claim that there is in fact nothing more precious than our sweet off- spring. But - and that is the major difference to here- we do touch or should I say grab our kids if they disobey, and yes we do spank them if necessary. And you know what, the occasional smack on the rear end does not really hurt or psychologically scar anyone for life. Just on the contrary, I'd like to state that European kids are way less spoilt than their American peers. Down the road those kids are generally fitter for life with all its highs and lows and further more less likely in need of mind altering substances, shrinks or other crutches.
However by being raised as idolized untouchables, unfortunately lots and lots of kids will never learn to apply the right set of tools in life to determine who they truly are. People, please lift your children off those stupid pedestals and rip them out of this unnatural vacuum. What you do with your child or children should be your very own and private business and by no means threatened by third parties such as child protection, psychologists, police or court -of course, only as long as you don't intentionally harm or abuse anyone. Kids, as has been proven time and time again, do need clear boundaries, clever guidance and plenty of love. The so- called Laissez- Faire style has repeatedly failed in other parts of the world. It is about time that the news made the round here too at last.
Get back to me, and let me know what you think about this.
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