As a parent of two children (3 1/2 yrs. & 14 yrs), both my children have been raised not to be spoiled and not ask for everything little shiny thing they lay their eyes on.

That said, for instance, when we take Elliott to Clark Park on a hot summer day and the icee man is in the park, Elliott knows he’s there but that doesn’t mean he’s going to ask necessarily, from the get-go.

That’s a result of proper parenting. Things like ice cream, candy, icees, toys, treats and the like are all “specialties”. My children may ask if they can have something, but if the answer is no, that’s it.

If he throws a fit, I’ll ask him very sternly if he’d rather go home right now or stay at the park & play. In most cases, Elliott wants to stay at the park.

If he insists on whining, we will not hesitate to go straight home.

And therein lies the lesson. If kids learn, whether early on or not, that they can whine, kick, scream, pout or otherwise be a living terror and that by doing so, mom and/or dad will give in to their wants, it simply emboldens them to do it every single time because they KNOW that’s all they have to do to get what they want.

It’s certainly frustrating as a parent dealing with a little monster kid out in public and we’ve all seen it and been bothered by it. We see a kid freaking out, somehow always when eating out, and the parents are helpless to stop the kid. We get angry that the parents aren’t doing anything and we get angry at the kid for being such a little douche.

The root of this is that children require boundaries and rules and they actually behave and function better, listen better, and learn responsibility and that there are consequences for improper behaviour when boundaries and rules are clearly laid out and are enforced consistently. With little effort and time, a child will learn that when mom and dad say no, it’s no. If they choose to make it a problem, the problem will quickly be identified as the child’s problem and not the parent’s problem. And once the child realizes that their lack of reward is their own fault and that if they behave better in the future they might actually GET what they ask for, they tend to follow the rules and not misbehave as much when their parents DO say no.

It sounds like this woman, if she has had these problems with a whining kid having a meltdown, has a problem being consistent with her parenting and has no one to blame but herself, not the average joe trying to make a buck and put food on his own table.

Hope that sheds some light from a parents perspective.