Oh, yeah, she's 3.
Am I an asshole? I would argue NO, at least in this case. Seriously, at 3 years old, most kids don't beat on their aunts because the kids know right from wrong. (You might also think that all 3-year-olds know the toilet from the bed, but that's just because you haven't been to my niece's house.) So I would argue that my niece does indeed know that hitting is bad, but she just doesn't care.
As most DINKs, I blame the parenting. After my niece hit me in the middle of the restaurant, I firmly told her, "NO. We do not hit." I also shot a silent look to my fiance that said, "I don't know why, but this is somehow your fault."
Since my niece hates hearing NO, she glared at me. Bring it.
Instead of bringing it, my niece turned to her other aunt, my sister-in-law (who I truly adore), and hit her in the face too. Shocked. I was shocked and appalled.
Even more shocking, my SIL laughed! "She doesn't have fine motor skills yet," she explained through her giggles. Uh... what? If the kid can form a fist, she can learn how NOT to hurl it at people's faces.
But my niece wasn't finished yet. She then walked over to her father and hit HIM in the face. He said, "No hitting... Here comes the TICKLE MONSTER!" and proceeded to tickle her relentlessly.
Wait, so... is... isn't hitting bad? Or.. just... I mean, the tickling, that's not exactly a sign of discouragement... then why...? Hell, if I was confused by that brilliant parenting move, there's no way my niece would get it.
Later, my BIL told me that he read an article about how it's a fabulous idea to follow up your firm actions with something light/fun because "the more you push your kids, the more they'll push back."
I think he misinterpreted the message there. Otherwise it's just irresponsible journalism.
Either way, I'm simply tired of parents not parenting. Don't they watch Supernanny? When you don't give your kids clear boundaries and punishments, they tear through your home, curse like sailors, destroy your furniture, pick away at your sanity... and hit their aunts in the face.
So, come on, Moms and Dads. Discipline your children. It's not your job to be liked. It's your job to keep your kid under control so the rest of us can enjoy a nice meal in a nice restaurant without having to worry about blocking a left hook.
