Parents, this is for the next generation...

To my fellow parents and child care givers:
I have some beef with some of you...
As being a parent or child care giver, you are in part, if not entirely responsible for who your child turns out to be when they grow up.
When a child has no discipline from their parents, the child sees no consequences for any misdeeds. If you don't pop their hand when they take something from another child, they are thinking "Stealing must be okay." And by being sweet, and saying "no, no... don't do that..." they will always do it again to test us. Many of us have that "testing" child. The child we feel a leash is necessary to keep track of them while getting groceries. A child with a parent who does not discipline will be a child with no respect for their parents, or other people. They will not respect the law, and will be arrested for whatever reason of law breaking. It starts as toys, or cookies at age two, but it grows to electronics and robing liquor stores at 25. Sometimes that kid will need a pop on the butt. Gets their attention (most of the time) and reminds them that you are the parent, and they must respect your authority. By doing so, they will respect their elders, other people, and the law. Less likely to land in jail for a serious offence.
Silly example, yet very accurate, Simpsons. In an episode where a hurricane blows down Flanders's house, and didn't touch the simpsons, we learned that Ned was quite a terrible child. Pulling kids hair, hitting screaming, slamming kids faces into tables and kicking them, just a nightmare. His parents were hippie-types that didn't believe in discipline. Ned saw no consequences for what he did, so he did whatever he wanted. After the psychiatrist spanked him for a long period of time, the good little Ned flanders ding dang doodly, was bor-diddly-orn. We know flanders and how good he and his kids are. Good 'ol religion and corporal punishment put him in his place.

You probably think something like, "That's just a stupid cartoon, it cannot be used as fact."

And I will say,

A- Cartoons are an art form in it's self, and should be at least respected as the art form they are. Not to mention all the talent that goes into it of so many varieties, of drawing, voice acting, story writing. So much goes into the 20 minutes of a single cartoon.
PERSPECTIVE SPOT: Average cartoon will be about 20, 25 minutes due to commercial break. that would be 600 to 1500 seconds. Here's where shit gets real... there are 24-30 frames per second. So, your looking at 14,400 frames in a 20 minute, 24fps cartoon. That's a MINIMUM. Can you draw the same thing 14,400 times and flip them together to make a 20 minute cartoon? No? Then keep your disrespect full comments to yourself. Want a BIGGER challenge? Think celebrity deathwatch. ALL CLAY. STOP MOTION. 25 minutes of 30fps. Move these clay dudes in a sequence of them killing each other 45,000 times WITHOUT mistakes.
RESPECT. You don't have to like it to respect it. All of us hated our parents growing up. But we still respected them. Respect the art of it before you knock it.

B- The stories HAVE to come from somewhere. The story about Ned could have very well been an exaggerated version of a true story that happened to one of the writers or someone who worked on the show. One thing i learned in my screenwriting class was that their will always be a part of you and your life in everything you write. Weather you try or not, it will happen. You will always end up writing yourself into your script. The long time of spanking Ned most likely was an exaggeration, but the initial spanking itself was enough to bring out the good little boy within. He was respectful to everyone, even homer, who stole his stuff and treated him like compost. PERSPECTIVE:
Ever watch something on TV, or on a movie and find yourself relating to a similar situation? Understanding what they were thinking without them saying a word? Find yourself wondering what will happen next to this character you just met, but feel like you've known them for their whole lives? The writers probably lived it in some way, and used their life experiences, and the "what if"s to relate to you. As a writer, I have to care about my character to write them and get you to love them, and care about what happens to them. You see a man playing with his kid in a park, and they are both having the time of their lives. Then he wakes up, and you find out his son was killed in a car accident. Why Do you care? Because you relate. You can only imagine the loss, unless we lived it ourselves, but either way, we all know what its like to loose someone we love so much. Now, you care about "A Man". You sympathize with him and his loss. If you tell me you never felt for a character in entertainment, you are lying. Respect the lives lived within the heart of the writers. Respect the ache of reliving it as you write it for a work of entertainment, to let you know you are not alone with that pain.

C- Personal example. I learned from cartoons from the 90's. I learned what some words meant, what some things were, a good idea of what to do in a situation, there were morals to the story, even if they were a monologue at the end of the show. Captain planet. Don't pollute the earth, take care of the planet. Ninja Turtles, fight for what it right, Ren & Stimpy, friends will always be there to have your back. Same thing with Rocko's Modern life. Friends stick together. Beavis and Butthead, Things can work out for the worst of us, including the most unfortunate, and how NOT to get girls to like you. That's just a few things I learned from 90's cartoons... But WTF is spongebob's message?

Cartoons affect kids too. They see what is acceptable in that cartoon world, but see something that isn't acceptable, and the character gets into trouble for it. Kids learn that stuff. They learn from watching us. If i playfully pop my wife on the butt, and my boys see it, they see its okay. Which happens... We do correct them, and say it isn't okay for them to do it unless your married. Holding doors open, and the hugs, the yes sir, no sir, yes maim, no maim... I teach my boys respect for everyone, especially women, like their momma. (she carried you for the first ten months of your life, was in labor, painful labor with you for several hours, and still sacrifices so much for you... You better respect the woman who you call Momma.)

Sum it up, Discipline your kids, if you don't correct them now, the state will correct them in the future.

By being overly paranoid about them, omg- why do you need to know what a kids poop looks like, and when it happens, and wont let your kids eat any snacks with the other kids in daycare... Now your kid feels like an oddball. And if it continues, he may hate you for the rest of his life for keeping away from all the yummy snacks the other kids eat at school. I know, you will pack his lunch with seaweed or rice cakes, or whatever health-nut stuff you got going on, and in middle school, especially, will be made fun of. Want him to be called a mermaid? Flounder? Any other ocean movie reference? No. Send the kid some teddy grams, cheese-its. oreos man. Let a kid, be a kid when it comes to food. Not only crap, but how bout a cookie or two when he eats all his dinner? That's more than fair. (this kid has no allergies or sicknesses, just a paranoid parent) No TV for the kid either? OMG. Now hes gonna be even more of an oddball for not knowing what happened on Saturday's cartoons. Ever miss a Show, and felt out of the loop when friends talk about it? That ll be this kid 24/7. The child may have a hard time using imagination, which will also prevent him from being creative enough to solve problems in many fields.

I suppose I could say these things from a personal experience. I watched TV, and I was spanked, I am creative and respectful, i have never been in trouble with the law, and I love my parents.

Every decision you make to raising their kids will affect them, even at before 3 or 5.
Most people will have a memory starting at age 5, but some will start at 3.
Not many people remember how they were potty trained, or what their first words were, or  how they started walking. But we keep doing it when we are older... So what we learn before then is a permanent memory in a sense, what ever was learned will be a part of them for the rest of their lives. After that, we reach a certain age, in adulthood, that will be the person we are for the rest of our lives.
Be care full who you let your kids grow up to be, and teach them the good person they should be.