Parental Advice, To Give or Not to Give

What does one do when a friend asks for parental advice and you know they will be offended? Do you tell them like you see it, or try and soften the blow and risk that they won't or can't "read between the lines" missing the entire point?
Well, the way I see it, if we are close enough friends that they feel they can ask for my advice, they already know my parenting style and therefore will be prepared for what I am going to say. That's not to say that every time I am asked for advice I will say something they don't want to hear, sometimes they are doing exactly what I would do.
However, with the old fashioned parenting skills that I so thankfully learned from my own mother and father, I find myself offending more often than agreeing. I guess I don't understand the mentality of parents today. Why wouldn't I want my child to feel humiliation, it's one of the best lessons a person big or small can learn from. Why would I want to be my child's friend, he has plenty of those at school. I am his parent and as such cannot be his friend. Of course we laugh and play and tell jokes and stories, we dance and sing in the kitchen together and watch movies, but he knows I am his mother, the boss, the decision maker, the teacher, the nurturer, the punisher, the provider...the Parent.
So when a friend asks me for advice I will always tell it like I see it. If they don't like what I have to say, they will stop asking, but for the most part, they just need support from a strong willed honest person to help them be the best parent they can be. After all, not everyone had great parents growing up and need a little guidance from a friend every now and then.
The best advice I have ever gotten and used is to have consistency and follow through. If you are going to set rules, stick to them, if you are going to make a threat, make sure it's one you are absolutely willing to follow through on. Don't threaten to cancel the trip to Disneyland that you've already paid for, we all know that is an empty threat. But if you say there will be no friends over for a month, then there will be no friends over for a month. Write it down so you don't forget and set consequences for begging or continuously asking in hopes that you will break down. Kids are smart, they learn fast. If you are consistent, they will learn and in turn be consistent with you. If they know you will follow through with your threats, you will see their behavior quickly change. If you are a new parent, starting early makes life much easier as your child grows. You don't have to be a tyrant to raise a well behaved child, you just have to BE the PARENT.

Why do kids "rule the roost"?

More and more often I notice kids making the everyday decisions that parents once made. Decisions such as what is served for dinner, what groceries are purchased at the local market, what kind of beverages or snacks they consume throughout the day. I'm sure we've all seen the chubby kid stuffing a donut in their mouth, or the hyperactive child sitting at the table with a Mt. Dew in front of him or her. Are American parents still so ignorant that they don't know fat and sugar cause disease and death? Would they rather their children like them than be healthy and disciplined?
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that when I became a parent, I took on the responsibility of raising a decent human being, not a spoiled, inconsiderate, disrespectful, temper tantrum throwing, uncontrollable, blameless child that our world is sadly being inandated with. Is it really that difficult to say no to the child that looks to you for guidance and knowlege, or to take the sugar loaded soda away that is known to cause diabetes?
Who thought it would be a good idea to throw parenting out the window? And why don't these people see what they are doing tho their kids in the long term? I think the saddest part is, I see more "educated" parents turning children into these monsters than those without a degree. It makes me wonder if higher education sucks the common sense right out of us.