Little Bethany was as cute as a bug's ear. The only child and the only grandchild, she was the center of attention. Discipline was not the strong suit of these new parents. They would feed her in the middle of the night, even though she was old enough to sleep through the night, because they couldn't handle the sound of her cries. She discovered early on, that she could get what she wanted if fussed and whined long enough. She learned that she didn't need to obey until Mom or Dad the first or 2nd or even third time she was told something, really she didn't need to obey until they were visibly angry and the volume of their voice hurt her ears. Dad would be watching the game, and even though she was told a hundred times not to take his glasses, she would grab them and run and Dad didn't have the energy to discipline her and besides he was sunk into the couch and enjoying the game. Other times she'd do what she knew she wasn't allowed to do, but she would smile and giggle and was so cute that nobody really wanted to correct her. By the time she was 4 she ran the house. She could get whatever she wanted by throwing a tantrum. It was just easier to give her what she wanted than to discipline her for her misbehavior.
Their house was on a state highway and one day while they were out in the yard, the gate had been left open and she started running toward the road. Her mom called for her to stop ... and then screamed for her to stop when she saw a car speeding down the road. Bethany looked back, grinned and giggled, then continued on her way.