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When I'm dining out and see well behaved kids, I always make a point of complimenting the parents.
I've done the same, and usually smile and tell the children what nice young men/ladies they were, too. A little positive reinforcement goes a long way.
On one fairly short plane ride, a toddler was acting up a row away from my daughter and I. Mom tried to calm the tike, unsuccessfully and she was flustered. My daughter (8 at the time) took her stuffed toy and proceeded to make it dance on her arm rest and play peek-a-boo. The little one calmed down and was visibly delighted by the show. Our fellow passengers were rather relieved, too! It pleased me that she relied on one of the very same tools I used with her.
Location: The Chatterdome in La La Land, CaliFUNia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vlorak
you should have left after you had talked to parents, and/or management. first time you get bothered by presence of someone else's kids you should say something to parents. remember: politeness is the key.
if my children were to bother someone at a restaurant, public place etc, i welcome their comments and will do my best to keep my kids quiet. if you speak up but become rude about it then i will probably order for my kids ice cream with double fudge, chocolate, and a cherry on top, and let my kids' sugar buzz take care of you.
other than that, i agree with you.
Many parents get sniffy if anyone dare criticize their offspring.
This song goes out to all the child haters out there. Make sure you turn it up during the part where the kid screams!
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9DQa2bexwM"]YouTube - Kids - MGMT w/lyrics[/URL]
Here's one for you. You know, because you're convinced the human race is in jeopardy and threatened with extinction and all.
Another cheerful one I think you will enjoy: " there is nothing more than this, please show me something more than this"
Yeah, I went through my dark depressing nihilistic stage too, but then I grew up! To have people 30+ that still think that way is just sad.
I have come to the realization that no matter what you say or do, some people will "get it" and others never will, when it comes to unruly kids.
There are "parents as friends" and "parents as parents".
"Parents as parents" understand they are there to train their children to become upstanding citizens of a society where it's not all about "me me me". Part of that training entails telling them things they don't like to hear, as well as disciplining them when necessary, and even accepting that they have to inconvenience themselves (by leaving the restaurant, let's say) to prove a point.
"Parents as friends" will defend their children no matter what, sometimes to the point of punching another person in the face for having the audacity to say something bad about their kids. These parents have a few distinguishing traits that I believe we have all seen, but many will not recognize in themselves.
Those who understand the difference between the two will recognize those traits, so I don't even have to go into what they are.
Those who do NOT understand the difference will never recognize it in a million years, so again, no need to go into it here.
I have never seen anyone physically step in to discipline someone else's child or yell at someone else's child.
Are you sure it's as common as you seem to think?
I have, however, on occasion seen crazed parents screaming at, slapping, pushing and generally assaulting their children in an attempt to discipline them in public!
In cases like that, I have stepped in and other adults also have. I won't stand for that being done right in front of my face.
Here in Ohio, I've seen BOTH extremes...people attempting to step in to discipline someone else's unruly child, and parents who have meltdowns of their own and start threatening to go 'WWE Smackdown' on their kids---AND anyone who tries to stop said parental meltdown...
And as I stated in the post you quoted (with a slight correction---the adult was actually disciplining their OWN child) my brother and I were in a department store in suburban Cleveland...little guy about 4 or 5 yrs old had somehow gotten separated from his Mom...he had made it to the front of the store, and was sobbing his little heart out, crying for his Mom, who suddenly appeared and (sidebar: I'm black) did her best loud mouth hoodrat badass b**ch impression, telling the kid 'what the f**k is wrong witchoo? Didn't I tell yo' ass not to leave me? Im'a whup yo ass in front'a all these damn people' and proceeded to smack the kid across the face at least 3 times---and I'm talking adult-level slaps, not love taps, and proceeded to take a rolled up belt from her purse...I lost it at that point---and at 270 pounds, I'm no midget...but my brother could see I was hot and set on 'destroy' and wisely grabbed me and hustled me out of the store...
So I can totally sympathize with you on the stepping in part...it's not normally my business if a parent is applying discipline, true enough, but when they start going 'badass' on the kid and acting like they're in a boxing ring, instead of acting like they have sense and doing that kind of discipline out of the public eye, and I'm within range, I'm gonna call the cops...and if that doesn't work, then they're gonna deal with me---like you , I simply cannot stand people doing that in my face
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Good Mornin' To Ya!...And Yeah---
