883 — Taking Care of a Willful Child

Modern parenting can be a real disaster. Learn why in this episode.
Slow dialog: 1:19
Explanations: 3:50
Fast dialog: 15:53
Mrs. Mason: So, how did things go?
Carl: Well...
Mrs. Mason: What’s the matter? Didn’t you and Jason have a good time while I was away?
Carl: It was interesting. He was a little willful.
Mrs. Mason: Yes, he can be a little strong-willed at times, but if you just do what he wants or give him what he wants, he’s just fine.
Carl: He wanted to eat all of the cookies and I told him no. He threw a tantrum.
Mrs. Mason: A tantrum? My son can be stubborn, but he never throws tantrums. What did he do exactly?
Carl: Well, he threw his toys against the wall, jumped on the couch while shrieking at the top of his lungs, and he tried to bite my hand.
Mrs. Mason: Oh, he was just expressing his displeasure, that’s all. You don’t want children to bottle up their feelings. You should just have given him the cookies to pacify him.
Carl: Really? I didn’t want to spoil him, and eating all of those cookies wouldn’t be good for him. He seemed to have too much energy already, and he didn’t need another sugar rush.
Mrs. Mason: Next time, you should just do what he wants. He’ll grow out of this willful stage soon.
Carl: Next time?
Mrs. Mason: Yes, didn’t you say you could babysit Jason again on Saturday night?
Carl: Oh, I’d made a mistake. I have another commitment on Saturday night.
Mrs. Mason: That’s too bad. We’ll call you the next time we need a babysitter.
Carl: Sure, I can’t wait.
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse