On Raising Kids

This post was supposed to be a part of a previous one (The Miraculous Slap), but due to the fact that most of you hate to read very long posts, just like myself, I decided to post them separately.

Once, we were expecting guests who, for some reason, are considered important, and we were supposed to act nicely and make a good impression.

So, on that day, I volunteered to take care of cleaning and tidying up the house, which is something I rarely do being the spoiled child I am :p

The visitors were nice, if only they haven't brought their LOVELY kids with them.
For shortly after their arrival, the tidy and clean house turned out into a big messy jungle with cookies smashed on the floor, nuts thrown everywhere, and candies spitted on the carpet… and the kids running around, playing with anything their eyes lay on, screaming loudly whenever their mom tries to stop them and end up begging them to stop screaming and leave them to resume the mess party that they were apparently enjoying and getting mad at anyone who tried to interrupt it!

Seeing all that mess around, and the effort and time I spent cleaning the house all going in vain, I struggled to smother my anger, and prayed that the visit ends soon before I lose my temper and act rudely with the people we're supposed to make a good impression on, and who made a very bad one.

For God's sake, can't they have a little control over their own kids' behavior?!!! Eno mish la hal darajeh people spoil their kids to the extent that they embarrass them like that!!

A conversation between me and Mom after they "finally" left:

Me: You know Mom, if I ever had kids like those, I'd rather kill myself, or kill them!
Mom: LOL, God forbids, you won't have such kids inshallah.
Me: Why are people raising their kids like that? Why this too much spoiling? And why are parents so concerned that their kids don't get upset and leave them do the hell they want? If only they leave them to me for a couple of days, I'll make them yemsho 3al 3ajeen ma yla5ba6ohoosh.

Mom: I think you are referring to the kid you slapped, aren't you? It's true that sometimes beating may work, but it's always the last resort. Children can be well raised without being necessarily beaten, not even for once!

Me: Elaborate plz!

Mom: Take you as an example; you were never beaten up, yet, you have never embarrassed me in front of people. (Nana has her nose raised and smiles proudly :p) When the child is being taught good manners, and being told what's right and what's wrong since his early years, he will automatically starts to behave politely and considerately. Children have to know that there's al thawab w al 3eqab, they certainly cannot be left to act as they like.

Me: I wish that all people understand what you are saying and implement it. If you only see how children at school threaten us with their parents, eno they will tell them that we, teachers, did or said so and so… They know perfectly well that their stupid parents will defend them no matter what they did, not knowing that by this they are doing harm to their children. Whenever a student is yelled at he threatens: I will tell mama/baba. Ay 6oz feek w bi mama w baba!!!

It was just yesterday when a 4th grader said to a teacher: "you are a*ra m3almeh bil denya." just because the teacher was asking her repeatedly to pay attention and stop wasting her time.

That kid has never insulted me directly and he earned a slap, had he utter such a word to me I'll probably throw him from the nearest window! I can't tolerate impoliteness AT ALL.

I still remember that Grandma Allah yer7ama told us once about a man who wrote on his son's evaluation card as the parents notes:
أرجو قتله، أرجو ذبحه، أرجو القضاء عليه
I remember how we burst out laughing then as we heard this.

Just notice the difference between how parents used to raise their kids in the past, and how they are raising them now. And people are wondering why this generation is so spoiled, self-indulgent, inconsiderate, disrespectful, and lack the least of responsibility and manners.

I'm not calling for beating up children, or deal with them very strictly, but at least to teach them differenciate between the good and the bad, what can be done and what can't...

I'm calling people to STOP OVER SPOILING their kids and just be modrate!