Score: 1 for toddler, 0 for Mommy

"Bye, Ellie!" the mother said as she walked toward the gate of the playground. The toddler sat in the sandbox and waved, "Bye, Mommy!" (That was not the response Mommy was looking for. She was trying to scare the toddler into getting out of the sandbox and following her home.

Score: 1 for toddler, 0 for Mommy.

I see this almost on a daily basis as Elisabeth and I frequent the playgrounds near our home. What I don't think the parents and nannies realize is that they are undermining their own authority. They are saying that they will do something that they won't do, and the children will learn that their threats (and therefore all their words) are empty.

Good parenting must follow this rule: Speak once (and once only) and require obedience.