Red marks are too scary?

We've been discussing this article on a few boards I read.

I don't know why this stuff continues to surprise me, but it does. Red is used for such things because it shows up against black and blue and many other colors better than any other color. Heck, when I'm proofing my own stuff I use red to ensure that I will actually see my own corrections. Teachers used red ink on my papers growing up, and proofreaders continue to do so, and I'm fine.

I'm all for kids having self-worth, but this is getting ridiculous. Some parents will not even tell their child "No!" because they think it's a form of abuse. Wha??? So, what happens when a child grows up and gets out in the world and --horror of horrors! -- is corrected or rejected in ANY way? They will not have any idea how to handle it.

I really feel that by focusing so much on children's self-esteem and not correcting and disciplining them, some people are doing their children a major disservice. I don't know how they will cope when they are older if they are treated as if the sun rises and sets by their whim. And when I talk about "correcting" I'm not saying abuse -- I'm saying teach them when they make a mistake, or how else will they know?

And if it matters to anybody, I'm not a parent. Some will say that means I'm not allowed to have an opinion. Fine, doesn't matter to me, really. My friends who are parents agree, and they are the ones who matter.

I'm glad I decided at the last minute NOT to go into teaching. I had the feeling that the way things were going in the late 80s when I graduated from high school was only the beginning, and I was right. I couldn't hack it as a teacher today, dealing with the nonsense they put up with from the administrators, kids and parents.