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Yes, absolutely. Do you have kids? Their innate nature is not all cute. All (normal developing) kids at one time or another will hit and bite and lie. Kids are selfish. They have to be taught how to behave in any society, let alone modern society.

But even if it's true that modern society is at fault, you can't change that alone. Kids still have to be raised in a world that is not fair, it's judgemental and full of selfishness. Your kid still has to navigate that world and understand its rules, even if we might disagree with them.

I agree though that we should be a lot more tolerant of things like kids throwing tantrums in a grocery store. I've been through that, it's not fun. Thankfully, people understood what I was doing when I refused to react to my son's behavior. I got understanding nods instead of anger while he melted down on the floor.




I think people without kids romanticize children as these pristine entities, but the truth is they are ruled by fear and greed just like anybody else. The difference is they are generally ignorant of social norms, expectations of performance, and their own biases. It is exhausting raising kids, explaining every detail in a way that they will understand over and over again until they finally get it, sometimes taking years; teaching people how to actually fit into the norms our society sets takes a lot of work. Teachers deserve higher esteem as they do take a lot of this on... kids having peers helps.


Don’t disagree but would appreciate taking meltdowns outside.


Because I didn't react it lasted maybe 30 seconds, much quicker than dragging him out of the store screaming. Next time you see a meltdown, maybe understand that parent is not having a good time either.

But stopping that behavior quickly is why I have a very well behaved child in the grocery store now.




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