tough love?

We went out to dinner tonight, as we do most weekends. At a nearby table there was a large group celebrating a birthday. There were 3 or 4 kids all under seven and they were pretty much running the table. But my favorite part of their spectacle was when one of the kids removed the string from a helium balloon. Aww, see what happens? It goes to the ceiling. But never fear, Dad will make a fool of himself, risking life and limb to get it. He stood up on the seat and held the child up over his head to get it while Mom took pictures. Yeah!

What's wrong with this picture? What have we learned here? That no matter what she does, Daddy will fix it for her. What if the kid had fallen? I couldn't watch.

I'm a mean mom. I would've let my kid cry a little and hope they learned not to do it again.

Then I looked at my own table and cursed the handheld games keeping my family occupied. Spoiled kids!