Not saying "Good-Bye"

[mimi]

I have had the sweetest kids turn into monsters when their parents arrive to pick them up. I have seen my darlings hit, kick, talk back, interrupt, not listen, yell, throw tantrums at their parents and run out the front door and do everything I have told them not to at my daycare such as play with the doorstop, open the door without permission and touch seasonal decorations that during the day they leave alone. I could go on and on detailing the things these kids do once a parent arrives. I think we have all witnessed this phenomenon. The thing is, the parents do nothing or very little to stop/control their behaviours. I really won't mind if a d/c parent asked for a moment of privacy to discipline their child when they misbehaved, but this has never happened. Like kidlove says, most just laugh it off or shrug their shoulders and shake their heads like 'what can I do?" The parents are doing their children such a gross disservice by not showing/enforcing the proper behaviour right then and there. Often, the next day, I will discuss with the child that what ever they did was not acceptable behaviour and to never do it again. I get full agreement till Mom/Dad shows. I just shake my head thinking as they head out the door at the end of the day that if my generation had ever behaved in such a poor manner, especially disrespecting a parent or another adult I can only imagine the parental wrath I would have incurred. Fortunately, my parents made their expectations of our public behaviour very clear and I never had to find out what the consequences would have been.