Dear Queenie,
A friend of mine has one child, a son, who is completely spoiled. They let him do whatever he wants and they never say “no” to him. As a result he does whatever he wants whenever he wants and makes things miserable for anyone who happens to be around him.
My children are older and were raised with proper discipline, so I never had this problem.
This mother is a good friend of mine and I don’t want to insult her or her child, but I know how much trouble this kid can get into as he gets older.
Queenie, should I say something to her?—Worried friend
Dear Friend,
If your friend ever says anything to you about being worried about her son’s behaviour or some trouble he has gotten into because of it, you can sympathise with her and tell her how you handled (or prevented) such matters when your children were her son’s age. You can also tell her that child experts say that all children need – and actually want! – discipline and appropriate boundaries.
