My friend told me that the best way to get kids to behave is to have limitless patience. I doubted it then. My siblings and I were raised with constant fear of being pinched, smacked, slapped, not given dinner if we misbehave. And the times were not few when we misbehaved. We were disobedient and lazy and selfish and impolite despite the punishments. Still we've grown to become responsible, law-abiding, caring individuals, I'd like to think. I wonder now if the rod was spared, would we still be the kind of people that we are today.
My four-year old nephew is the worst kid I've ever known. He was a bully at three. He is disobedient, lazy, selfish, impolite, a loudmouth, and a smartass. The two-year old one, unfortunately, is a runner-up.
But they are so cute and so young and so innocent, how could old people expect them to behave and follow the constitution?
The best way still is to teach by example. If we say, "Don't do this," we should show them first that we "don't do this." If we say, "Be this," we should first "be this."
Such a tough job to be an adult!
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