Serious Post: Out of Control Babies turn into Out of Control Children

Uh-oh...get ready for a real topic and not just fluffy fun. ;) 

So maybe I am taking a risk (oooooh) by posting this but I feel the need to express myself on this subject b/c I can see how easily it can happen...

My girlfriend from Orlando called last night to vent about her neighbor's little boy. Apparently, when he misbehaves (for example: bites, hits, or kicks other kids) his Mom says "Baby, we don't hit..." in a sing-song friendly voice. Since his Mom isn't firm with him and uses such a cutesy tone of voice with him, he continues his misbehavior. His Mom then threatens a time out in the same voice and says "Honey, please don't make me tell you again" about 10 times before admitting defeat and taking the little boy home. 

My girlfriend is annoyed because this little boy continuously approaches her children and hits them and clearly it's not my girlfriend's place to scold the child.

She says that ever since the neighbor's kid was our babies' age, his Mom used the same tone of voice and never followed through so now her son has learned that there are no consequences to his actions.

I don't want this to turn into a punishment forum, but I do want to raise a point. To little ones, even using a firm, serious tone with them is noticeable enough for them to *usually* stop the bad behavior. 

Even Hunter, who is under 8 months old, can differentiate when I am being loving versus giving him determined guidance. If he is putting something in his mouth that I don't think is good for him, I'll say firmly "Hunter, don't put that in your mouth," and he looks at me and stops. I don't ask him to stop and I don't sing him a "No, baby" because he just can't understand it that way.

Babies are smarter than we give them credit for but they need our guidance. Obviously our babies are too young to understand on their own that hitting each other isn't friendly...so it's up to us Moms to keep the little ones in check so no one feels uncomfortable in group settings.

We have such a large group with so many different parenting styles so it's important to remember to respect the fact that not everyone will follow by the same guidelines. That being said, it's equally important to be responsible for your baby's actions towards other children in the group.

This post isn't a reaction to anything that has happened between us -- most of our kids aren't mobile enough to start hitting each other anyways. :)  Just hoping to prevent a situation like the one my girlfriend is in. 

I hear Hunter stirring in his crib--going to get him up, feed him, and run some errands. Hope to see some of you at the movie this week!