These are the type of people who end up on Oprah pleading for help because their 5 year old runs their house or the ones who call in the "Super Nanny!"
In a word, pathetic.

Bleh, every parent has a weak moment now and then. You get tired, the kids get tired, the day drags on and you just want to get out of the damned grocery store with as little fuss as possible. B-F-D, folks.

What I find irksome, are the people who don't bother to interact with their kids at all. They let them run wild and act as though they are oblivious.

Recently, at a playcenter I saw a little boy knock a baby down in front of god and everyone and the parents didn't say a word. Kids can be nasty, hitting and all that, but that is where the line has to be drawn. That's when you politely excuse yourself/your child and "step outside" for a tanned bottom.

For the record, my youngest was in a snit recently and bowled over another baby in his path just out of sheer orneriness. I yanked him out of the playcenter for a smacked butt and a talking to...despite the (really weird) assertions of the kid's parents that the baby was used to being run over so not to worry. I also made him apologize.

Anyhow, to make it short, pleaders are just (by and large) exhausted parents driven to laziness after a long day. It's the ones who don't/won't acknowledge their kid's behavior. That's different.

Good catch. Toddlers are natural negotiators. At this stage of life, what is important is that they be learning the rules of the world thay live in and learning the consequences of not following them. It's a tougher row for a parent, but it will pay off in the next 15 years.

What is wrong with you when you are getting pushed around by a three year old? My nephews get no breaks from Uncle Mike, mostly because I don't want them boys being little whiners. My nephews are gonna be tough guys!

Understandable that a child have their unruly moments, but setting boundaries early on will usually eliminate a lot of the horribly embarrassing situations that some of these parents put themselves in. I don't have children, but have been around young people long enough to know that guidelines and rules WILL usually work, IF the adult enforces the behavior. There should be no pleading, the child should know who is in charge and what, "no" means.

an unruly toddler can make life miserable for all. parents who are terrified to say no or have some kind of rules. or think being firm is some kind of child abuse,can look forward to having spoiled I am the only person on earth children. who will likely have problems in school with authority. and be the kind of kid you hate to see coming down the walk.

my children are far from perfect but they are wellmannered and conduct themselves properly.i know quite a few people that have done this and their children treat them with such disrespect that its unpleasant to even go visit them and makes it hard to mind my own business. this and time out are worthless when it comes to raising kids

Right On! Who's in charge here!

It's important during a child's formative years to establish a sense of discipline with them. A lack of parameters early on leads to a lot of developmental problems later in life; specifically it'll be difficult for them to accept authority, especially with regards to teachers and employers. It's much better to be firm early on and set up the ground rules.

This is highly annoying and their kids will grow up thinking that they are the center of the universe.Grow a backbone!There are too many spoiled brats in this world as it is.

I ain't no parent (nor do I want to), but give toddlers a break. I'm very laid-back and patient when it comes to kids or toddlers. ... Despite disliking kids, let 'em behave the way they want to. They'll like you when they become teenagers.

It's hard not to feel bad for the toddler. If a parent does this while the child is controllable by voice intonation, what happens when the kid is able to say, You're not the boss of me. ? Young parents, if you want to save yourself a lot of difficult remedial discipline, view yourself as a kindly dictator who is always right, and who knows that what this child learns from you today is the most important item on your to-do list. Indecision on the field of battle is viewed (by even the most shy and meek of children) as weakness on the part of the parent. Hitting your child is your call, something I never had to do, though my children were always afraid of it. The day comes when they say to each other, you know, Dad is soft. He'd never hit any of us. Make sure they're old enough when they say it that it doesn't matter.

i'm all for hitting them, and talking later.

I believe this is on page 203 of the manual, How to Make a Public Spectacle of Yourself by Ima Doofus

Be a good boy and I won't break your arm.

Having been raised in a household where the only acceptable responses to an adult were Sir, yes sir and Ma'am, no ma'am from the time we could talk this is one practice that I really notice and which gets right under my skin.