rick parents = spoilt kids?

of late, the flatmate has been addicted to this show, Super Nanny, showing on Nine. nope, nothing like fran drescher, with adorable kids and a very single and available dad, but i'd agree that it's a pretty good watch, almost as intriguing as Desperate Housewives. haha.

last night's show involved a pair of stressed-out parents trying to discipline their more-than-2-person's-handfuls' worth of 4 kids. all hyperactively RUDE little boys. one would spit in the mom's face while she was talking to him, and when she wiped the spit off, he's kick her in the shin. another 4-5yr old would give her the middle finger... and they're as disrespectful to their dad as well. and in the end, the dad gets mad with the mom for not being 'good' enough. and there's this turmoil going on within the family. and they never get to school on time since each kid is obstinate enough to want his own way at any one point in time.

rather than recoil in horror and sheer disgust at these parents and swear i will n.e.v.e.r.E.V.E.R. have kids (as i would usually do), Super Nanny takes it all in stride and helps these parents out by suggesting ways to discipline their little horrors, and regaining some form of mutual respect. you must be thinking, "why don't the parents just cane the naughty kids, just like we were caned last time? that left a pretty indelible mark in our minds and taught us to become the good, nice and charitable people we now are!" well, apparently corporal punishment is frowned upon over here, and you could be severely reprimanded for child abuse even if the primary objective was to discipline your kid!

now, the funny thing is, as they always show the little tykes (not just boys - spoilt little girls are frequently monstrosities as well!) being the tyrants of their own homes, and the poor frazzled parents just sitting amidst the chaos wondering where they had gone wrong (everywhere, you twits!), i notice that their house is nearly always a nice big one. sometimes there's a swimming pool out at the back. many times, there are nice paintings on the wall, and a biggish screen tv in the den. and more often than not, many bedrooms. are these rich parents who spoil their kids too much, such that the kids don't know the limit to their generosity? maybe so. often, the kids have no interest in their mountains of toys, preferring to terrorize *each other* instead. (ha. now i know why i was an only child!)

often, the existence of dumb parents unable to restrain their kids amuses me, but riles the flatmate to no end. the contempt is written all over her face - it is pretty priceless to watch, if the scenario does not directly relate to you (ie. it is somebody else's kid you're watching on tv, not a crying toddler just at the next table). yes, i agree that there should be compulsory courses on "how to win your 15-mth-old in a screaming match", or "how to stop your 6-yr-old from using the expletives he heard on tv on daily conversations directed at you". that sorta thing. sometimes this parenting thing does not come naturally the intended target group, so it has to be added in the form of weekly 2-hr sessions. just like how, back at home, the gahmen is finally realising that not all people who hire foreign workers as domestic maids have the capability to treat them with respect, and are now encouraging these employers to go for lessons before hiring.

something about not having a kid if you're not going to spend time controlling it. or a dog, for that matter.

thankfully, the slot for Super Nanny doesn't clash with Desperate Housewives, which i am desperately trying to follow. ooh la la, i am *so* good at recognising who's who, remembering who did what, and following these soapies.