Hi Wendy :-)
This article really hits home (and a nerve!) for me. I am DEFINITELY printing it out for my DH.
(BTW, DH is hispanic; I'm white)
I was raised by parents who allowed me to think, talk, and have an opinion. As a matter of fact, I was expected and encouraged to have an opinion. This by no means meant I was allowed to break the rules or be disrespectul; I wasn't. My parents taught me that it's ok to question things and they taught me how to do it respectfully.
DH was raised with commands and he's following suit. He parents with the "do what I say" approach, without question and immediately. When they do start to come back with something he oftentimes will cut them off and tell them to do what he said. . . . I absolutely hate it! It makes me feel as though they walk away feeling "less than" and withered.
DH does get results BUT at a big cost, as far as I'm concerned. I don't want my kids to just blindly follow what someone tells them, especially if they have a difference of opinion. If you teach them to stifle their voice as a child they will stifle their voice as an adult.
~kelli~
