https://www.gocomics.com/forbetterorforworse/2023/08/27

One of the comments says it all:

Rcwhiting
"Everyone wants to blame someone else for their problems. Seems like bad kid behavior must be the fault of the store manager versus the parent. While couched in humor, this points out a sad trend of avoiding taking personal responsibility."

Yes, of course reality has to get bent a bit in a comic strip, for the sake of a punchline, and of course it's unlikely that most North American parents would actually do what Elly is doing in the last panel. (And, as one comment points out, who GAVE April the money in the first place?)

But...unfortunately, Elly's mistake at the beginning is VERY realistic.

By that, I mean that she could (but didn't) have simply said: "oooh, you want one of those? Well, since it's YOUR idea, you have to pay for it. Where's your money? Oh, you don't have any? Well, when we get home we can find some work for you to do and you can EARN that money! Then we can come back here another day."

I know perfectly well that most North American parents don't say "where's your money" to their small children. Well, maybe they should! Besides, kids have to learn that they are not entitled to instant gratification.

And the good thing about giving kids EXTRA chores to do instead of giving them allowances is, it forces them to think twice before spending - AND they can earn money whenever they want instead of waiting for it. In other words, it empowers them. (Of course, working takes time, so even though they can work at any time, it doesn't result in instant gratification.)

AND...this is just as important; if a kid is three or older, the kid is old enough to understand what a delayed punishment is for. That is, Elly should have said "you stop acting like a baby or you'll have to go to bed EARLY, like a baby!" Of course, one absolutely must follow through, which too many parents don't. Better yet, if possible, one can cancel whatever fun activity for the kid was scheduled for that afternoon.