Permission & Punishment - the key may be here.
Two moms (I was one of them), were exchanging emails. I wrote the comment "When did our adult kids stop asking for permission to do...anything?" I thought about the game Mother, may I? A mom or dad or somebody stands about 20 feet in front of the small kids. Mom (that would be me) would say "Evan you can take three big steps forward." And Evan may or may not say "Mother, may I?" If he did, I would grant him permission to move ahead. But oops! If he didn't ask permission he'd go back to the end of the line. Too bad, kiddo. (A mom's revenge.) Permission. Our kids would beg (not ask for) permission: please, please, please! If they did ask for permission, I'd have fallen over. How about when a kid does something, and the parents decide bribery is the way to discipline? That's another type of permission, but it's subtle. Parents are good at this game, especially if the little angel is acting up/out. Stop it! Sto