https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/27/opinion/sunday/motherhood-in-the-age-of-fear.html

>...at the end of a visit with my parents in Virginia. I needed to run an errand before our flight home to Chicago, and my son, then 4, didn’t want to get out of the car.

>“Come on,” I said.

>“No, no, no! I wait here.”

>I took a deep breath. I knew what I was supposed to do. But I was tired. I was late. I didn’t want, at that moment, to deal with a meltdown. And there was something else: a small, quiet voice I’d been hearing more and more lately. “Why?” the voice asked.

>Why did I have to fight this battle? He wasn’t asking to Rollerblade in traffic. He just wanted to sit in the car. Why couldn’t I leave him, just this once?

I have some thoughts, but will let the commenters do most of the unpacking on this one.

  • A couple of stories later in the article are sad examples of the oppressive nanny state we live in.
  • The victim card and misogyny comes out in the part where they talk about dads getting away with stuff moms are criticized for.
  • What does it say about the author when you can't win a power struggle with a 4 year old?