The Importance Of Consequences
Why a simple approach to parenting will never be attempted outside the home
As many parents learn (but sadly, many more do not), consequences are essential for behavior modification. Clueless parents modify their children’s behavior by accident, for example by yielding to screamed entreaties like “I wanna wanna wanna wanna ice-cream NOW!!!”
Even a very dull-witted child will quickly learn it can get what it wants by pressuring its hapless parent unit in this way.
Equally, if a child is told in advance that a certain behavior will result in a consequence that is meaningful and unwanted by the child, there’s a chance the child will eventually learn to moderate its displays of that particular behavior — but only if the parent actually follows through, every single time, to impose the aforementioned consequence.
Fortunately for our wonderfully functional modern world, most people then forget all about this terrible concept once they reach puberty or the moment they step out of Parent Mode, and they never again permit it to trouble them in the slightest. Instead of consequences we get zero consequences.
Naturally this means that all kinds of interesting behaviors flourish unchecked.
