Originally Posted by Bostonian
Do you think children should obey their parents? I think they should, within limits.
Within limits, I don't expect my son to obey me. I don't care to wander into the judging zone of extending that to all parents. I've found a trusting, open, communicative relationship belies the need for obedience.

Originally Posted by Bostonian
How can one adult keep order in a classroom of twenty children unless they are "compliant" or "obedient"?

Through communication, rational intent, engagement, bi-directional trust building, and other tools used by effective leaders (though compliant drifts a bit away in concept as compared to obedient.) (bolds here to point out a couple of seeming problems in Irena's situation)