(^) I am using the term authority a little differently here. Authority
here denotes what may be accomplished with your child because you
are stronger, faster, larger, and so forth. What parents with newborn
children may accomplish simply because they are in charge—because
they are the authorities—is at an all-time high. They call all the shots.
Baby may cry in protest, but Mom and Dad have the initiative. Even
the young toddler is somewhat intimidated by size. Parents may
buttress commands—“I told you to sit down!”—by physically placing
him in the chair. The parents’ word is law because they have the
physical capacity to enforce it.
(^) As a child grows, the ability to control him that way diminishes.
The more Junior grows and develops physically and mentally, what
you may accomplish through raw authority diminishes.
(^) Imagine the following scenario. I go into the room of my 16-year-
old son to wake him for school and he says, “I ain’t goin’.” What am I
to do? While I have a small weight advantage, he is stronger than I
am. Even if I could wrestle him out of bed, dress him in spite of his
protests, and get him on the school bus (all highly doubtful), what
have I accomplished? He can get off the bus at the next stop. If he
stays on, I have no guarantee he will remain in school.
(^) I am thankful that my son has never done this, but my point is
this: I can no longer secure obedience through superior size. My
ability to require obedience because I am stronger has been eroding
since the day he was born.
(^) While I am limited in what I can accomplish through the raw use
barré
(Barré)
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