This happened with my children the other day. I was visiting with a handful of women with children. The children played together while the women drank coffee and talked.
Every so often one of the children would come in complaining about one of the little boys who was there. "He's throwing stones", "He's kicking the pile of leaves I've gathered", "He's taking bricks from the retaining wall and not putting them back".
Not once did the mother of this child go out and tell him to stop, give him time out, tell him if he doesn't behave he'll have to leave. Instead the other mothers had to either tell their children to ignore him, move away from him, tell him to stop, or they'd go out and have words with this little boy themselves.
I've been to these little mothers groups on a few occasions and it's always the same: this little boy being naughty while the mother casually let's him get away with bad behavior.
Then one time one of my children hurt him back. The naughty little boy came inside crying and upset because he'd been pushed away. For the first time ever the mother reacted. She stood up and went outside and began to ask my child what had happened. It turned out her son had pestered my child so much they got frustrated and pushed the boy away. The boy fell and hurt himself. I told my child he's not to put hands on anyone and I told the boy he's to leave my son alone and we all went back to doing what we were doing.
Still it amazed me that this woman who NEVER tells her child off, never disciplines him, never reprimands him, found the strength to stand up and have words with my child. This kind of hypocritical parent boils my blood. You cannot have it that your child constantly gets away with bad behavior, hurting and annoying other children while you literally never say or do anything about it, then somehow find it within yourself to tell another child off.
You have to mow your own lawn before demanding someone else mow there's.
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