Quote Of The Day

Following up on yesterday's post regarding the disturbing portrayal of kids and parents in the new "Yours, Mine & Ours" film, here's Dr. Dan Kindlon, a Harvard child psychologist:

"We use kids like Prozac. People don't necessarily feel great about their spouse or their job but the kids are the bright spot in their day. They don't want to muck up that one moment by getting yelled at. They don't want to hurt. They don't want to feel bad. They want to get satisfaction from their kids. They're so precious to us - maybe more than to any generation previously. What gets thrown out the window is limits. It's a lot easier to pick their towel up off the floor than to get them away from the PlayStation to do it."

I see myself far too much in that quote, and thank my wife for her forcefulness in rearing the three Incredible Daughters. Being from a family of eight kids, she necessarily knows more about discipline than I do.

Dr. Kindlon's quote is just part of an excellent article, Kids Gone Wild, in last Sunday's NYTimes.