Parenting Advice from an Au Pair

This is a rant.

I rant because I wanted to quit today.

I wanted to quit today because the 5 year old cried and screamed for over an hour straight and has been acting like 'un nino de diablo' for the past three days. (Do you speak Spanish? Get my incognito reference?) I mean, he fights and cries over shower time and dinner every night, so I'm used to that, but he nearly sent me off a cliff today.

This parenting advice comes from someone (me) who has worked with children long enough to know what works and doesn't and from someone (me, again) who is expected to fill an impossible role of parent/big sister/care taker/best friend/disciplinary-without-the-actual-discipline.....GOODNESS I have credibility, okay?

Rule 1:
Follow through. Follow through! If you threaten your kid with not speaking to them for the rest of the night because they screamed the whole time you were gone, then don't speak to them! If you tell them to eat or go to bed early, put them to bed early! Follow the freak through. They will respect you because of it. No follow through = NO RESPECT. Zilch. Nada. Rien.

Rule 2: 
When has it ever been okay for your child to yell at you and not have a consequence? When has it ever been okay for your kid to yell "shut up" at you or their sibling? NEVER. So don't let it be okay. Punish the kid. Make them learn.

Rule 3:
Do not let your kid walk all over you. They cry and whine about EVERYTHING because they know they can get their way with you? Don't let them get their way. They laugh when you are sternly talking to them because they KNOW your words are hollow? Well, then you're the problem, not them.

So, parents. Do yourself (and any babysitter/relative/friend/person on the street) a favor and put your mommy pants on. Ya I get the whole "don't yell at your kid" and I agree with that. But don't be a limp noodle.

GRRRRRR okay my rant is out. Thanks for reading. Now go be a boss.