rediscovering common sense

Submitted by lelene (United States), Jul 22, 2003 at 20:35

Often the best reaction to wrong-doing is an over-reaction, one which either makes the perpetrator afraid that your sanity may be in question, or which makes him very hesitant to repeat the action for fear of the consequences. I learned this raising my son. Like a terrorist, a child who isn't caught and appropriately punished is more than likely going to move on to bigger crimes. Without a strong reaction from an authority figure to make him re-assess his course, he's going to do it again, and then he's going to take the next step and see if he gets away with that, too. It's just human nature to test the boundaries repeatedly and often, and whenever they give, to push some more. That's what children and terrorists do, and will do, until someone comes down hard enough on them.

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