Does the tail wag the dog?

I watched a funny show on TV tonight called The Middle. In it the kids ruled the roost. They dictated what was for dinner, what they watched on TV, what errands they needed to have run for them, etc. The parents had no life, and simply catered to their kids every whim. The tail was wagging the dog.

Here's my question to you: When you were a kid (assuming you're not a kid right now) were you raised like that?

I definitely was NOT, nor did I raise my kids like that. Example....my youngest daughter was an ultra-picky eater. She loved cereal and macaroni & cheese (not at the same time...duh!), and would sometimes demand that we fix one of those for her instead of eating the fine meal her mother, or sometimes me, cooked for her. I finally said NO, she would eat what we did or do without. She threw a fit, but I maintained when she got hungry enough she would eat what was served to the rest of us.

And she got hungry, and she ate what was served to the rest of us.

If one of my girls forgot her homework or a textbook and called me to bring it to her, I would...the first time. After that she just did without and suffered the wrath of her teacher. She learned the hard way to check her school bag before leaving home.

The net result is that all three daughters grew up happy and healthy, relatively disciplined, and ready to face the "cold, cruel world". (And are great parents themselves today, I might add.)

Was I fair, or was I a bad ass? The truth, please.

S