Yup. Small better. I disciplined one of my many grandchildren age 4 when he was screaming in a department store. Took him outside, gave him little swat, lecture. Went back in, he did it again. Back out again and told him we would be doing this as many times as he screamed in store.
Twenty years later, he told me he remembered that and thinking that thought grandmothers were supposed to be nice. I said, I was being nice. I did not want you to grow up to be an axx appeture. He laughed.
Wow, he remembered that day. :-) You’re right, you were being nice by disciplining him. It was the most loving thing you could do.
My son, a few weeks after he turned 24, called me and started listing all the things I made him do. “You made me do my homework the moment I came home.” You made me do my own laundry” “You made me....etc.”
He was in school in the UK and I’m thinking I’m gonna hang up on you.
All of a sudden he said “Mom, you taught me discipline.” “I could do what I do now if you hadn’t taught me that.” “Thank you.”
I asked him “What did you think I was doing?” He replied “I thought you were being mean.”
Several months later I was taking to a millennial I work with and the he told me he called his mom to say thank you. I asked him “When did you turn 24?” He looked shocked and said “2 weeks ago. How did you know?”
I (and you) look at parenting is not about being your kid’s friend.