While on my way through the crowded aisles of Kroger on a Saturday morning, I was on a mission. Get the things on my list and get out of there as soon as possible. I made a mistake, a rookie mistake. I went to the grocery store, on a Saturday morning, and expected to get out fast. What actually occurred was me waiting in line behind six! Not two, but six families all with small children.

I am a patient person and I under no circumstance think it's OK to lay a hand on another person's child, but after the "sweet angel" threw a water bottle at my face, I felt it appropriate to ask the mom if she would politely watch what her kid was doing. I voiced my opinion. I tapped the mother on the shoulder and politely asked her to make sure her child didn't throw that at me again. My parents always appreciated when people "tattled" on us to know when we were not acting properly. And yes, my parents spanked me. Now I suffer from this thing called having respect and manners for other people. However, this lady called me a "tattle tale" and told me to mind my own business. Um...excuse me, ma'am? Your child made it my business when he chucked his water bottle at me.

But it's just not her; it's parents all over the country refusing to discipline. You don't have to spank your child, but some form of discipline is a must. I am no parent expert; I have no children, and I don't want them for a very long time. I was raised and taught from an early age that we, my siblings and I, were expected to act and behave well in public or otherwise we were forced to face the consequences. My parents didn't take away my "iPad," because we didn't have those. When I threw a fit, I wasn't told to calm down. I was taken to the bathroom and spanked. When I argued or talked back with an adult, I didn't get a "time out" or just something taken away. I got spanked and I got in trouble.

Though my siblings will tell you otherwise, I behaved very well, and that's because I was scared of being spanked. I was not scared of my parents. I knew my parents loved me, but I was scared of the consequence of me doing wrong, as should be normal. If you don't want to spank your kid, then that's fine. I don't understand why and I won't reason with you or plead with you to change your parenting style, but remember that you're supposed to be the parent. I see people all the time saying things like, "My mom is my best friend," and while I love my mother very much and I do tell her (mostly) everything, she has not and will never be my best friend, because she's my mom. Maybe that's why the children of this generation and the generation to come are more notorious for being rude, and more inclined to misbehave. Maybe if we had more parents that wanted to actually be a parent instead of a friend, and children that had to face consequences and were actually scared of punishments, there would be less toddlers inclined to throw water bottles at strangers. As for Kroger, I still love you. However, I will stick to evening shopping. Mornings aren't my thing anyway.