Last night, my girls and I were in a department store. There was a toddler carrying on and screaming for more than 15 minutes when my younger daughter said:

"Now his mommy is going to tell him to stop because there are other people in here that don't want to hear it!"

Unfortunately, his mommy did not tell him any such thing. She let him wail and scream and cry, much to chagrin and annoyance of everyone else in store. You know what? As much as I love kids and cannot bear to see or hear them suffering, I disliked this kid immensely!

My reasoning is this: if our kids learn that they are free to trample on peace, space or rose gardens of others, they will develop into spoiled and inconsiderate brats. And then who will like them? Who will want to spend time with them? Who, besides their forgiving parents, will be able to tolerate their lack of social graces and good manners? No one … except maybe another ill-mannered person who feels at home with a similarly clueless individual. Do we really want our children reduced to such horrible options? I think not. We teach our children not to steal, lie or punch their brother in nose. Shouldn't we teach them respect for others at same time? That their whining and out-of-control behavior is something no one really wants to hear or witness, especially strangers who have no vested interest in their developing minds or self-esteem? A simple reminder of rules, consistently, works wonders ... eventually. ;-)

Good luck. Kids need to learn manners and social graces. They will go farther in life if we teach them well.

I've heard that little girls are easier to potty train than little boys. Any readers out there care to comment? We'd love to hear from you, especially if you've trained both a boy and a girl. As for bed wetting after four or five years of age, some kids just can't help wetting bed at night. It seems these precious ones are not emotionally unstable, torn apart by low self-esteem or any other old-wives-tale rationale. They simply do not have capacity to hold their urine and they are deeper sleepers than most. If you have a child who cannot stay dry at night, there is a remedy. Please talk to your child’s pediatrician.