Machiavelli for Parents

I have written previously about my parents' misbehavior when I was a small child, as well as their conduct this year.  In regard to raising children, my parents took the Machiavellian approach.  That is to say, they preferred to employ fear rather than love.  It is easier, more efficient, and from their perspective, far more effective.  It is also an extremely lazy and unthinking form of parenting.

Once, in a Barnes & Noble, I saw a three-year-old running around and screaming, disturbing books and customers.  After what seemed like an hour, the mother finally appeared.  She calmly knelt down to get on the child's level, and proceeded to explain to the young child why running around and screaming in a book store was a bad idea.  I was right there to witness the child's behavior and the mother's response.  And of course I was just appalled.  I mean does one really reason with a three-year-old?

But is that the only alternative response to the way my parents dealt with such situations?  Needless to say my parents would have beat the crap out of their kid right then and there.  Both of these responses are terrible.  But beating a child is barbaric, unnecessary, and traumatic.  The worst you can say about this mother is that she was misguided.

So is a proper response so difficult to figure out?  Evidently.

Simply remove the child.  No matter the inconvenience, remove the child from the environment.  In this particular case, the mother should have grabbed the child and said, no books for you today, we shall go wait for your father in the car, and marched the child out of the store.  Child appropriately punished; calm book store environment restored.

My parents would appreciate another Machiavelli quote:  It has to be noted that men must be either pampered or crushed because they can get revenge for small injuries but not for grievous ones.

Oh yes, misbehaving children must be so severely punished that there is no chance of similar behavior ever again.

My parents chose to crush their children. 
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