Posts by Frank Wells

hollowscout57 said:I honestly couldn't bring myself to ever lay a hand on a child. It would feel like I was breaking some fundamental law of nature or something. To me, there’s just nothing more unnatural than someone stronger using their power to hit someone weaker.

Well, you're right; hitting someone weaker than yourself is just plain ugly. But let's face it, kids today have way too much nerve, and they have zero respect for their elders. Not in school with their teachers or professors, and certainly not at home with their parents or grandparents. They aren't afraid to raise their voices at an older person, insult them, or even get physical. Whether this is a direct result of modern parenting styles or something else entirely, I can't say for sure, but it's happening more and more often...

Ashley Bailey75 said:So, she’s staring at the china cabinet like she’s actually gonna pull a plate out. Like, does she realize that thing is basically a grenade waiting to go off? One wrong move and we’re looking at a thousand shards on the floor. I'm not exactly jumping in to save her—she’s been living under my roof for a year and still hasn't figured out how to handle herself. Sure, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but let’s be real: they’re walking hazards. My job is just to set up enough guardrails so they can poke around without breaking everything, while I play it cool until the lesson finally sinks in.

I actually used rubber bands to tie the kitchen cabinets shut (you know, where you loop them around two handles so they can't open), mostly because they're so low down and easy to reach. As for the electrical outlets, I constantly watch her to make sure she doesn't get too close, though I've blocked most of them off by placing furniture right in front of them. I also cleared all the chairs and tables off the balcony so she won't try to climb up and jump; I heard about this one four-year-old who climbed onto a table and leaped right over the railing...
And I’ve been moving all the small stuff from the lower cabinets to higher shelves so nothing gets grabbed and thrown across the house.
If you're dealing with more than one kid, I imagine trying to manage all of this at once and keeping an eye on everything they touch is an absolute nightmare.

Ashley Bailey75 said:Yeah, we definitely moved too fast That’s exactly my point—she could literally go on a rampage from sunrise to sunset whenever she gets that itch, and they wouldn't have a clue who she is or what she's actually doing. They don't give a damn if they end up being around or not once she jams that tweezers into the damn socket. And tomorrow? They'll try it again. And the day after. Until one day they finally listen to me. Or the laws of physics.
At least they won't be left feeling discouraged or totally checked out from the world just because they haven't been punished for—get this—being curious and wanting to explore.

Good grief, those kids of yours are lucky to be alive if they're smashing plates, flushing hair dryers down the toilet, and sticking tweezers in electrical outlets. My kid never got a spanking, but then again, they never did anything like that. Honestly, maybe you should give them a little swat on the backside now and then; it’s certainly better than having them drop dead from an electric shock because of a hairdryer in the tub or an outlet mishap.