Overcoming Bad Parenting aka Because I Said So

Okay.. so this post is not directly related to education, but I was so disgusted I had to vent somewhere.

So I decided to go to a local costume store to get something for "Crazy Hair Day". I love participating in our school spirit week, and as I waited to get to the counter, a boy at the tender age of about 4 or 5 caught my eye. as his mother was with the cashier, this young cherub was yelling "I want candy! I want candy!"
I am thinking to myself, "the last thing little angel boy over here needs is more candy." The mother tells him that he cannot have it now, but maybe later. Baby new year is still not so politely requesting candy. Once again, mom says no, but there is doubt in her voice, She has begun what I will call.... "the negotiation." This goes on for about another minute, with sunshine walking a 20 foot exploration around the vicinity of the cashier looking for different candies and submitting them for approval. Finally, spineless mommy asks the cashier how much the two candy items are and agrees to purchase them. She looks at me, we lock eyes, and she realizes that I have been watching the standoff. I mumble the word "shmuck" to her... and I can feel her embarrassment as the looks to the floor. They leave, and junior has triumphed.
He has learned to manipulate. He has learned that Mom is not an absolute authority. He has learned that he can be indulged if he continues this behavior. He has learned that he can have and do whatever he wants.
When angel boy walks into a classroom, he might not find these lessons hold true. This surely may cause him frustration, social concerns with other children, and criticism from his teachers. I know that if he comes to my classroom with that, it will be dealt with so fast he won't even know what's happening.
Parents often ask me "How do you get Xxxxxxx to do what you say? He/she always gives me a problem!" I tell them it is because I am not mom or dad. There is no negotiation. I am the authority and my rules apply. I urge my students to speak up when they disagree, but they must do so in a respectful way. Growing up, my mother would often say to me "because I said so", and you know what... that was a good enough reason. I did try to negotiate much... for if I did, there would be consequences.
As a parent, I am sure to follow through with consequences as a result of my kids' actions. These can be both good and bad. My kids know that if I say I will do something, I will do it. Good or bad.
As a teacher, we are being asked to do more to mold the character of our classroom population. This is not a knock on parents as a whole. Our lives often demand dual income families, single parent households, etc. Having said that... we as parents must make sure that the time we do spend with our children presents a positive model for behavior. If we show our kids that a behavior is okay with a reward (even if it is cute!), they will grow up doing it.
Sometimes the right thing to do is inconvenient, and sometimes it is okay to let your child scream bloody murder in a store so that he or she does NOT get their way.
Why? Because I said so...