billy ray jim bob: (sorry if I got that wrong.) but I LOVED what you said about your kids not understanding yin or yang or eastern philosophies!
i will stand up for my children.... always. like a mother bear with her cubs.
I always taught my boys to respect others. I DID spank my boys. not often, but in my book (the Bible) it is encouraged. if you do not agree with my discipline, you can agree to disagree.
numerous times my DH and I had people tell us how great our kids were, and then tell up how we were too strict with them.
we GRADUALLY lessened our restricitons with them,. some people thought we were too strict; others thought we were not strict enough.
however, in a vacation situation... you NEVER know what has "gone down" in the hours or even days before. we ALL get tired, hot, worn down, even... god forbid... sick of each other. give other people a BREAK. you can't sit on the outside.. hear a snippet of an arguement.... and think you are going to be Oprah or DR. Phil. get off your high horse, give the people a smile, and just WALK ON
IF, however,they intervene with YOUR family, you are totally within your rights to POLITELY ask them to move along, you have the situation in control. (amazing how rude people don't know how to respond to politeness. I am a bartender.this is my best defense. scream at someone, they will only scream back. I used to teach; when the classroom gets too loud..... whisper... amazing how quiet the classroom gets:laughing
you WILL meet rude people on vacation. prepare your kids for this ahead of time. and as long as you raise your kids right, they KNOW you will not let anyone hurt them. let your kids know they do NOT live in a "bubble" and teach them their own "coping skills" so they can deal with rude people in a respectful manner, because you will not always be there, as they get older.
I have met up with teens at "the world" on their own "maybe a band group, etc" and the language was not what I would have liked, but there was always that one or two who, noticed me, looked embarrassed, and said "sorry ma'am"
now... I don't know if I was more offended my the language as the fact that they called me MA'AM!!!
yikes when did I STOP being a MISS?