I am of the old school when it comes to child discipline. By all means start off with reasoning, then move onto threats, and then, if the threats are ignored, a quick slap to the leg works wonders. Of course, to make a lasting impression and induce life-changing behaviour, a good thrashing round the head with a baseball bat will be required; but I understand that is now illegal in certain countries.
Too often you see parents failing to discipline their kids and allowing them to do pretty much what they want. This is not a considered approach to child raising, it is laziness and a desire to avoid any form of confrontation. The end result will be a unruly teenager and an adult who does not understand that there are boundaries to behaviour; and someone who is destined to also fail at bringing up their own children.
Sadly, I notice that Thai parents are particularly bad at child discipline, especially when it comes to boys; who are pampered and indulged to a ridiculous extent and then grow up to be spoiled adult brats. The reluctance to enforce behavioural rules is the same laziness and avoidance of confrontation that you find elsewhere, compounded by the Thai “mai pen rai” attitude which means that it is considered better to just let things be as they are, rather than putting effort into a change which might result in a raising of voices, conflict or, horror of horrors, loss of face.
The government response to the latest protests on the streets of Bangkok are a reflection of this approach; and it is not just coincidence. There is a nationalistic feeling here, a concept of everyone being part of a single Thai family, that you do not find in other places. If there are street protests in Europe which go beyond the rules that have been set, the the authorities will wade in with water cannon, batons and shields, without any wringing of hands and a worrying that “we are all insert the nationality of your choice here”. In Thailand we have had the army making statements such as “we are all Thai and do not want to hurt other Thais”.
And the end result of this unwillingness to impose discipline and order, has been a red-shirted child that has been allowed to do pretty much what he wants. Daddy government says he has to stop, and he carries on. Daddy governments says the child must not go to a certain place or there will be arrests. The child goes and nothing happens. The child now knows that daddy is weak and inept and he can do pretty much what he wants.
The problem is compounded by the fact that daddy has another child who wears a yellow shirt and is clearly more favoured than the red-shirted child. The kid with the yellow shirt was allowed to play in the airport for many days and daddy did nothing. If daddy now starts to impose some discipline on the red-shirted child; everyone, especially the red child, is going to shout “NOT FAIR!!!”.
There are a number of possible outcomes. The red-shirted child may give up trying to annoy daddy and head back home in time to get pissed over Songkran. Daddy might grow up and stop just announcing rules and start enforcing them. If this happens, then there is the real possibility that someone will start swinging the metaphorical baseball bat to the head, or a bomb, or a machine gun.
What a mess. This is what you get if you don’t bring up your children properly. Better give your child a good spanking right now, just to be sure.
Comments 🔗
2010-04-06| Antz saysSpike, on the whole you are spot on with this… however, you do seem to overlook the fact that there are two different “dads” involved here. The current daddy with the red shirt child is a different daddy to the one who had the child in the yellow shirt. An important distinction…. but it does not affect your over-riding point….
2010-04-06| Spike saysAntz, you are, as usual, correct. Although I was thinking of the Thai government as a generic daddy, irrespective of the bunch of clowns that happen to occupy the position at the time. Another problem is that the latest version of daddy lacks legitimacy in the eyes of many; perhaps another reason why they seem unable to do anything to curb the mayhem on the streets at the moment. Still, who gives a fuck, it was nice and windy today!
2010-04-07| farang_jai_dee saysI have to agree almost 100% in what you said. My wife’s son is a total useless piece of walking humanity. The approach is ‘oh we can not say or do anything for he might run away’. Kid will 18 this month.
Believe me, I have tried to introduce discipline with him from the age of 9 but it is met with silence. I now do not care. Sad to say.
2010-04-07| Spike saysMy wife’s son, who also happens to be my son too, is a fine piece of humanity. And the only evidence of the regular thrashings is some scaring, which is only really visible in bright sunlight. Oh, and the constant nervous twitching.
2010-04-27| Thai News saysI really hate the current situation here in Bangkok. It affects my sales, my life and and and. When is it going to stop…
2010-04-27| Spike saysA week on Thursday at 1413.