Bright sparks! You could NOT have said it better. Having 5 children under the age of 4.....I run a pretty tight ship here. I don't negotiate good behavior. I don't promise treats if they put their shoes on....I won't have my rules undone because the parent is at the front door...I don't like nor want to discipline a child in front of a parent but if their child wants to misbehave and they want to stand there and try to negotiate with their 3 year old about my rules...darn right I will discipline the child in front of their parent....I won't have a child running up and down the hall just because "mommy is here"....ridiculous. ...rules are for their safety as well as my protection....