So, Do You Like ... Stuff?

Note: This column appears in the 6/16 issue of The Glendale Star and the 6/17 issue of the Peoria Times It has recently been revealed that our daughter is scared of Cookie Monster. I can’t say that I blame her, with his aggressiveness and broken English—I’m not so sure that “Me want cookie!” is the best educational resource for young children—not to mention his wandering eyes and the fact that he is a self-described monster. Nevertheless, this evolved fear has been wonderful news for us. You see, virtually nothing scares our daughter. In fact, she is greatly amused by the rare occasions when she is scared, like when I jump out from nowhere during a game of hide-and-seek. More, more! As parents of a child who, not yet two, is still too young to grasp the consequences of discipline—we still valiantly try though, which typically worsens the behavior we were attempting to correct—we are more than ready to employ scare tactics. Is this wrong? Probably. But I think that, as parents, we are...