My son broke his brand new Samsung tablet in a fit of rage. It had been a gift from me – a reward for completing his studies with an impressive grade. But it seemed that my son was expecting an Apple iPad instead and was very disappointed with the Samsung tablet.
I was in shock as he threw the tablet across the room and it smashed into pieces. He was crying and angry and wouldn’t calm down. I was so disappointed in him, but my heart was also filled with sympathy. I knew he was just a child and had been expecting something he thought he deserved.
After a few minutes of calming down, I looked my son in the eyes and asked him why he had done it. He explained that he didn’t want the Samsung tablet; he wanted an iPad instead. I explained to him that I had thought the Samsung tablet was a great gift and that it would serve him well. But he was adamant that the iPad was the only device he wanted.
At this point, I was at a loss. I knew that if I caved in and bought him an iPad, it would set a bad precedent and he would expect to get everything he wanted from now on. But I also wanted to make him happy.
I finally decided to take a different approach. I explained to my son that he had to learn to be grateful for what he had and appreciate the gifts he received, even if they weren’t exactly what he wanted. I told him that if he was patient and worked hard, he could eventually save up the money to buy an iPad himself.
My son seemed to understand and apologized for breaking the tablet. We agreed to put the money I had intended to spend on the iPad towards a savings account for him so that he could eventually buy an iPad himself.
My wife disagreed
She said I should have beat the S out of my son. Now that I have educated my son I am quarrelling with my wife.
My wife said I should not spoil him and still agree for him to get an Ipad in the future.
Her logic is there must be consequences to every negative action, But I don’t feel like doing any physical things to him.
Now I’m stuck between what should I do?