Child Rearing

Is there a child fronting I immediately wondered but of course not. This is akin to tags that Costco cashiers and returns desk staff wear proclaiming 'Front End' which often leads me to think if the stockers and shipping dockers have the obvious 'Rear End' writ all over their name plates. They do not! The world is unfair. But I digress. Let us focus on the Rearor and the Rearee. Matter at hand is the excerpt I read in today's WSJ that an American author penned while living and working in Paris, France about why middle class American children (generally in the infant to toddler category) were an obnoxious bunch compared to their Parisian counterparts. Her observations centered around the French way of life, focusing on not servicing every need of their offspring when they thought they had one but rather letting the kid wait. Patience was indeed an virtue taught early she concludes. Also the conviction of saying what you mean (of the No or Non kind) versus the American 'Bobby get down from that dining table now and keep that vodka bottle down' admonishment was key to successful child rearing. I do believe that children are not for the faint of heart having gone through extensive investment of time and energy with our one and only. This was achieved largely with my spouse's and personal partnership with smattering of day care hours thrown in in a country half a planet away from where we grew up in much different circumstance. The offspring in turn now close to 10 years is not someone that excels in some form of art or can write computer code or do the fastest 100m swim. Far from it. But she is definitely someone who values realtionship with another person, eats most foods (vegetarian or not), gets lauded by her teachers for being a kind and considerate human being that does well in class. She has been the subject of corporal punishment as time demanded (much much less than what we as kids endured), very few time outs (another moronic term stolen from the games people play) and a lot of discussing a problem till there was an agreement (mostly my spouse has the patience for the latter) solutions. Approaches to this art (it is that if anything) are varied and span a gamut of styles from the Chinese 'Tiger Mom' concept to the Kardashianisque novelty acts employed by those that have a different set of ideas of the world. Are there right and wrong answers to this question depends on one's perspective on right and wrong as always. Ultimate success (subjective to say the least) as this child gets ready to take on the world on its own - call it 18 year old or as they get their first job - is always in the eye of the beholder. Indians (or for that matter Asians) tend to exhibit tendency to use variety of tools or implements to beat (literally by use of 'Chadi' or wooden stick, foot ruler, curtain rod, belts, rolling pins et al) sense in their offspring compared to their Western (read American) counterparts. In the latter the mere mention of use of these devices for such ungodly variations would invoke slew of 911 conversations followed by flashing lights and retarded newspaper articles and headlines on the local 6 o clock news...in a suburb in Northern California a parent was detained by police .....you get the idea. Meantime I am sticking to the dazzling hypothesis (until the next Freud or NIH scientist debunks my opus) that the copious use of 'turmeric and chilli' while inducing these brutal outbursts in Asians also is the reason for lack of Nut Allergies..