Small boy mistakes Jersey City sand mandala for playground, destroys hours of work

[tblue37]

61. According to the article, the monks were at first "stricken," but then their leader made a calming

comment and the monks set about to repair what they could of the edges, though the center was irreparable.

So, yes, the article did say that the monks were upset when they first laid eyes not he mess.

BTW, I had 2 kids of my own and also ran a home daycare for 18 years. I frequently took several toddlers and preschoolers into grocery stores, toy stores, pet stores, libraries, parks, and various other public places, as well as across busy streets on foot (I was too poor to have a car at the time). I also took them swimming at the pool belonging to the apartment complex I lived in during the first 3 years of my daycare operation. I never had an assistant either--it was just the little ones and I.

Not once did any of my charges ever get beyond what I called my "grab-back" reach in public except when we were running around outside in a safe place. Not one ever got hurt; not one ever managed to destroy anything; not one ever ran loose to get in the way of other people (or their shopping carts when we were in stores). When I am in a public place and someone is letting his or her kid run wild, I am always disgusted--not with the kid, but with the adult who is failing to properly supervise and control the kid.

Of course, when I had my troop out and about, I was not doing anything other than minding them. If someone I knew saw me and approached me to chat, I would simply wave the person off and say, "Not now--I have my hands full!" The kids had my full attention when we were out in public.

I don't believe in yelling at kids or hitting them, either. But humans are a hierarchical species, and it is natural for people, of any age, to jockey for status and power. If a little one believes that the adult is the troop leader, the child will normally respond quite well to the adult's authority, especially if the child sees the rules as fair and as fairly (and lovingly) applied.

But if the adult has been wobbly or apologetic about his/her authority, or if he/she has been inconsistent, unkind, or unfair in wielding that authority, then the child will become intransigent, disobedient, or, at the very least, passive aggressive.

When parents have to put their kids in daycare because they have to work all day--or longer--they often feel too guilty and sad to be firm with their kids. They don't realize that some consistent firmness up front will make it so that instead of arguing and struggling with their child all the time, they will be able to truly enjoy their time together. Kids feel safer if they believe there are reasonable rules in force, as long as they believe that those rules will be applied lovingly, consistently, and fairly.