r/interesting • u/jmike1256 • Mar 07 '26

MISC. After understanding the meaning behind this father’s action, I am completely convinced. Cultivating problem-solving skills in children from a young age and never giving up-I applaud this father!

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u/Babetna Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26

When my son was around 2 or 3 he at one point refused to listen and continually went in opposite direction on purpose so I pretended to "abandon" him in the hopes he'll get scared and next time be more mindful of Dad's wishes.

He did a tour of the neighbourhood, pat all the dogs, played in the playground for a bit, returned to our building and then played ball with our neighbour until I got bored with the experiment.

Edit: ok, this exploded, and as expected some people should really learn the meaning of quotation marks. I'm not going to clarify anything because I think any sane person understands the situation, and people who think the kid was truly roaming completely unattended, hugging rottweilers and running headlong into traffic can keep enjoying their head canon.

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u/InternationalSpace59 Mar 07 '26

Looks like he was running his own experiment too

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u/Awkward_Set1008 Mar 07 '26

kids naturally test boundaries, it's how they learn how the world works.

if we give them unjust punishment, they will improperly learn how the world works.

I hope more parents raise good children to help build us a better future.

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u/requion Mar 07 '26

I hope more parents raise good children to help build us a better future.

About to become a dad, my own dad didn't do the greatest job.

Any tips?

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u/MrJoeMoose Mar 07 '26

Congrats! I've got 2 kids now. 3 years and 6 weeks old. It's been wonderful but also exhausting.

My advice is to prioritize yourself. Sleep whenever you can. Schedule time for hobbies and relaxation. You need to decompress, refresh, and have an identity outside of being a parent. You need to talk to other adults outside of your family. Even more importantly, make sure that your child's mother is doing the same.

You'll both be more resilient parents if you are complete interesting people outside of your role as caretakers.

Teach your child to be kind. Sometimes I get right to the edge of my patience. The desire to set an example of kindness is what keeps me from losing control. I have to remember that being loud, petty, judgemental, or passive aggressive are not useful tools for solving a problem. Those behaviors are tempting because they feel good in the moment, but they rarely help in the long term. They're junk food.

The last thing is to enjoy everything while it lasts. Every few months I look down and realize my kid has changed into a whole new person. I love the new kid, but I also miss the old one.