Unchained children

[Martin Cassini]

Too many children are prisoners. Like the three I saw today (aged about 5 to 11) having lunch in a pub with their parents. Mother was quiet; father quite vocal, but his conversation consisted entirely of instructions and prohibitions. "Sit still. Eat your food. Be quiet. Behave." In the faces of the children: resentment, reluctant obedience, gritted teeth. There is a tendency to equate discipline with restriction and punishment, but the primary meaning of discipline is learning by example, as a disciple learns from a master. To what extent does proscription incubate anti-social conduct? Do parents have a duty to entertain their children? Too much licensed vandalism goes on in the fields of misguided parenting and traffic (mis)management. Later, that family left and another occupied the same table. This time the parents interacted positively with their children, who purred contentedly. (The analogy with traffic controls stands up.)