update: Damn, the title of this post just seems bad...
I think that after almost two and a half years of
fatherhood (hey, I just invented a word!) being a parent I can write some things about my experiences. But first, a short introduction from the world of Operation Systems:
Thrashing (
Wikipedia) is a case where one process in the computer is consuming huge amount of memory for a long time and therefore makes the whole system very slow. There are many approaches of solving this problem (Yeah, you guessed right: Windows doesn't treat this at all). The two important solutions (for this post) are:
- Kill the memory-consuming process (Used in Linux 4.2)
- Make this process "the king" of the computer: Let it run until it will end (Used in Linux 4.6)
These approaches can also be used with children. When a children is misbehaves you can either give him a loud "No" (No, I don't mean to kill him. A kid is not a process

) or let him be the king - just let him do what he wants. Now comes the important question: Which is the right approach? Well, I think that there's no ideal answer. It's just depends on the situation: Does the children right about what he wants? Maybe I (or his mother) promised him something earlier? What is the educational result of my action? All these things may change the answer.
The most important of all: Do what is right for your child. Not what is comfortable for you in the moment.