If you kids don't stop fighting, I'm going to stop this car and leave you here!

Originally Posted by KrelEN

I'm going to agree with Tande on the fact that any "emotional trauma" the kids have been left with from this incident should be totally fucking insignificant. They'll undoubtedly be put into counseling and spend years being told what an awful, wretched husk of a woman their mother is, though.

However, I'm not sure that the whole spoiled-rich-kid situation really applies here. During the nineties, my dad had a lucrative trading job, my mother was a high-strung socialite and we lived in a series of huge houses in Chicago's north shore suburbs. From about the age of six onwards, I walked to a state school a few blocks away every morning. My most exciting birthday presents were clothes and books. Television and games were a strictly weekend-only affair. If I broke something or cocked up my parents' social gatherings or suchlike, you'd better believe I was made well-aware of my errors.

The point I'm trying to make (which, intentionally or not, seems to also be echoed in the article given how rife it is with references to the family's affluence) is that people can be well-off without overindulging their kids. What we've got here is tough love taken slightly too far. Opinions aside, though, this "news" item is just sensationalist tripe. I mean, look at the counterpoint presented by another local mother they interviewed:


Holy shit. They're actually trying to portray this other soccer-mom dingbat's parenting in a good light! "Well, I don't know what this bitch could possibly be doing wrong! I make sure my children are distracted at all times by never letting them go without entertainment for even a single second. Otherwise they're too difficult to raise!"

Classic post. All this "trauma" that's been mentioned is bullshit. The only reason for people to believe that this should somehow deeply effect the children on any level (besides making them feel stupid for annoying their mother to that point) is that someone TOLD them it would. God, if children were as mentally fragile as this article suggested, then I've got no idea how those children plan on making it in the real world.

And about the iPod lady: she sounds like the same kind of parent who would have one of those leash/harness set-ups for their toddler, walking around the mall letting it inspect the gum under the nearby bench while she ordered her starbucks Mocha choco frappa whatever drink.

I don't know there are many good points on either side. What if the children had been hit by a drunk (or sober?) driver or kidnapped? Not too likely but then again not unlikely.

Jam it back in, in the dark.