I was on the train watching a little boy have a great time cooing to himself and then bouncing a few loud ones off the back of the cabin. He giggled to himself after listening to the echo of his latest sound exploration. It seemed like he was having a ball.

The mother, on the other hand, was not; she was constantly telling him to “be quiet” or “stop that” and, having not gotten the requested response, just kept repeating herself while blowing rasperies in his ear between cautions. It was most bizzare. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what she was actually attempting to do; play with him or tell him off.

Why do parents in public with children insist that they be quiet? Why are they embarrased about their kids? And why do they try to secretly reward them when they are outwardly telling them off? Such confusing messages must only serve to tell the kid(s) that their parents are insane and can generally be ignored, which doesn’t seem to be a terribly good lesson.

I guess I just won’t understand until I have one of my own.

Image by Lars Plougmann (Flickr)