Originally Posted by Wyldkat
I've been at a loss as to what to do with the parent of the children in the scenario. She is a close friend, but I truly feel that the lack of any form of boundaries and discipline is doing the children a severe disservice.


Does the parent gave an inkling that what they are doing is ineffective? I think a lot of parents parent out of guilt (of course, we all do sometimes). A guilt-driven parent is much more receptive to advice then a parent who idealistically feels discipline is harmful. I would encourage a guilt-driven parent to let go of these worries and parent the way they know they should. If she is idealistically opposed to discipline, your "judgement" of her parenting may ruin your friendship.

That is do hard for you, I'm sure.