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Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Seen on the Shore or Parenting 101


Seen on the Shore or Parenting 101

I did not know if this should be titled “Scene on the shore” or “Seen on the shore.”  I decided on “Seen” because the event was “Seen” by me and a “Scene” was averted.

The walk to the beach from our vacation place has gone from a fifty yard mild downhill stroll on the sand to a wandering stone path through a vastly enlarged dune to protect from the next “Super Storm.”

Personally, I think sand, no matter how high it is piled, will never stop an ocean with an attitude, but that is another issue. 

So, this morning I was returning down the path after enjoying a cup of coffee and a view of the ocean.  A young father was coming up the path with a three-year-old cute-as-a-button little girl with pink sneakers.

The little girl did not like the stony path (it really is not uncomfortable to walk on even barefoot) and was clinging to a rail and inching forward on the boards that are part of the railing structure. 

She was whiny.

Dad was encouraging her to just walk on the stones, “You will be fine honey, trust me.”

She was really whiny.

Dad assured her she would be fine and her method of forward motion would “Take forever, so come on, let’s go.”

She was extra, extra whiny.

Dad now could either pick up the little girl and carry her to the sand, encouraging future whiny behavior; yell at her and argue, which would create a stand-off he was sure to lose especially with lots of busybodies giving him the stink eye.

Or

He just said, OK, I’ll see you down by the water.”  He turned and slowly walked away.  The little girl got upset and yelled, “Daddy!”

Daddy did not stop, he did not turn around and look, he just slowly walked down the path.

Little girl got off the wooden ledge onto the stone path and began running to Daddy.

She was not crying, the stones did not bother her, there was no tantrum, no yelling, no lecturing, no bribery offers. 

Left with no other choice, the little girl made the right decision, a decision that would not be an issue for the rest of the week or however long they were at the shore.  

She ran down the path to Daddy.

I suspect Daddy eventually gave her a big hug and the incident was over.

I wanted to give the dad a thumbs-up, but he never turned around to receive it.

20 comments:

  1. How wonderful the internet is. It is so good to be in one country but able to get the atmosphere of someone else's day thousands of miles away in another. Thank you for this happy little story about sensible parenting - what a great dad. A valuable lesson learnt for the little girl. I can and I will.

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  2. Sounds like this dad really knew his daughter. Kudos!

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  3. Excellent! Give Dad a thumbs up from me too!

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  4. Excellent. You can settle for whiny for 18 years or your can nip it in the bud. He did just that. Bravo.

    Have a fabulous day on the beach, Joe. ♪♫♪♫

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  5. That dad is doing a good job!

    betty

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  6. We had a whiny, stubborn daughter and we often had to do the same thing that the dad did. She grew up to be a marvelous person, but still stubborn, which is OK.

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  7. Kudos to dad. I've done that a time or four myself. Kids get it real quick. :)

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  8. Excellent, Dad! I wonder what other parents would do then? I know we walked away many times.

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  9. That is a sweet story. That dad know how to play it for sure.

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  10. He knew her and the right thing to do. Well done Dad and she obviously still loves him.

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  11. A good choice. The best solution compared to the other two. There's more than one way to skin a cat. But you can't really say that anymore.

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  12. Now that's Gold Star parenting! :)

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  13. Sensible father and wise child. Not too many like them these days, especially where I live.

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  14. either i want to give him a thumb for his sensible response dear Joe!

    this incident is profound and reminds that how "availability of freedom and facilities" can SPOIL OUR ATTITUDE

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  15. I mean TOO MUCH FREEDOM OF OPTIONS

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  16. He sounds like a father who grew up when kids could run free.

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  17. I hope he got something really good for Father's Day! Good job Dad!

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