Overriding authority

After much discussion with my friends that are parents around me, this is apparently a prominent problem. All young families have problems when grandparents choose to get involved in the disciplining of kids. Suddenly, he or she who used to wield the cane like a sword and the dragon lady that could be heard a mile away yelling your name ( the more complete your name, the more trouble you are in) have morphed into these cuddly little teddy bears.

It's suddenly OK for the small ones to consume vast quantities of sweets before dinner, watch tv all day long, not do homework, answer back.. that's all fine. Woe betide the parent who dares to utter a stern word in front of the grandparents. The small ones pick it up just as quickly as well. Once they discover there's a higher power that can override their parents, that's it. You are in for a ride!

My son discovered a long time ago that he would be safe not to try and I'm proud of that. When I am disciplining him for whatever crime he has committed, he stands there and takes what punishment I decide to dish out. I can see my mom making puppy dog eyes from the corner, holding her hands open for him to run to, but he's always been smart enough not to go.

I feel sorry for the parents that have to put up with that. I'm pretty sure that after a while they learn to discipline in private. Grandparents should really just learn their boundaries and not try to butt in too much. That makes things easier all around. At the very least it means that any time spent between grandchild and grandparents would be fun all the way.