I may not agree with “LZ” on much else, but he’s right about this. Parents who do not teach their children respect, discipline, and prepare them for life need to go back and re-learn those lessons themselves, then teach their children well.
Callous as it sounds, Mr. RightField and I always told our children that while they were special to us, they were definitely NOT special to the rest of the world. We expected them to develop good manners and social graces in order to survive on their own. The world outside our home would not be forgiving of selfish, boorish behavior, and their livelihoods and friendships would be determined in large part by their own social behavior.
When I did that my mother’s reaction was a slap upside the head. I didn’t do more than a few times. In fact, there’s an old home movie of us eating at my aunt’s house when I was six years old. My mother reaches for a biscuit and I duck.
She didn’t need ritalin either. A slap upside the head and a scream: “Pay attention!” worked everytime.