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Well, with the tiny difference that the OP's child is 2, and the old guy is obviously just a little bit older, and you would think should be a bit smarter and more mature, and should've by now figured out simple social rules and basic human courtesy, like not making snide comments to strangers. But I guess some people never really mature past toddlerhood.
Still --- he's free to be rude whether he should be or shouldn't be.
I think when you decide to take kids out in public, you're going to get some people telling you how cute they are, others don't think they're so cute -- it's just how it is. You can't control other people opinions but you can decide if you care about their opinions.
We are moving quickly past the candy section with the giant boxes of gum.
Back to this little nugget.
Why in the name of Willy Wonka were you anywhere near the candy section? With a two-year old? You rolled a cart carrying a grumpy two year old down the candy aisle in Costco?
Why in the name of Willy Wonka were you anywhere near the candy section? With a two-year old? You rolled a cart carrying a grumpy two year old down the candy aisle in Costco?
Think..... mothers and fathers of America. THINK!
This IMO is exactly what this thread is about. People giving advice when they shouldn't butt in.
Realize that you are asking a tired mother, whose husband isn't around to help with the kids, who has had a bad day, to go around out of her way to avoid the candy section of a Cosco. The candy section I've seen at Costco is huge, so you are suggesting that she must walk around it to avoid problems with her 2 year old? Maybe you should THINK!!!
Everyone expresses their grumpiness in different ways. Some get road rage. Some tell the cashier "no wonder you're just a cashier, you're too stupid to do anything else" when they don't get the price that they wanted on their 5-pack of pens. Some post on an internet forum about how old men comment to someone else, about a third person's child. And some - like 2-year-old children, have temper tantrums.
Most people don't act out the simple social rules and basic human courtesy 24/7. As I said - sometimes people get grumpy. And just like that 2-year-old, sometimes they express their grumpiness. If it's okay for a 2-year-old to do, then it's okay for a 70-year-old to do. And I'd say - it's probably even MORE okay for the 70-year-old to do, because he's lived long enough to have earned the right to express his grumpiness. The 2-year-old hasn't been alive even as long as the 70-year-old's dentures.
I don't quite agree with that. Yes, everyone does get grumpy, but not everyone chooses to express it in a way that's offensive to others. Toddlers do it because they haven't learned otherwise yet - yet we teach them that some ways of expressing their emotions are inappropriate, like tantrums, or hitting or saying mean things to someone else. I guess some just never learn that lesson? I get grumpy, but I don't go around making random rude comments. By that logic, next time can I comment out loud about how horrible that lady's outfit is, or how this old guy's pretty wife is clearly a goldigger, or something equally offensive, just because I feel grumpy at the moment? Or is it only mothers with young kids that can be subjected to these comments?
Making unsolicited offensive comments to a stranger in public is uncultured and rude, simple as that. Doesn't matter if you're 75 or 15. Intelligent people learn to keep their thoughts and their grumpiness to themselves, especially on matters that absolutely don't concern them. People sticking their nose in others' business is a major pet peeve of mine.
Why in the name of Willy Wonka were you anywhere near the candy section? With a two-year old? You rolled a cart carrying a grumpy two year old down the candy aisle in Costco?
Think..... mothers and fathers of America. THINK!
Uh, at least at our Costco, there is no way to get to the pharmacy without passing the candy.
I usually ignore random strangers, or give them an eyeroll and go about my business. If it's been one of those days and I just can't keep it in any longer, my default is usually sarcasm and I'd say something like:
Judgmental much?
You had your chance to screw up your kids, now it's my turn. (I used this one a lot when I knew they had kids, especially if i knew their kids weren't perfect.)
It must be nice to be perfect and have perfect children.
Especially since in his generation, dads probably had 0% of the responsibility of actually raising the child.
But you know, he's the bad-ass toddler whisperer now, beeyowtches!
Oh, I did think. Oh, yes indeed I thought! I thought about what we did back in the Paleolithic Era (Detour and Distraction to avoid the candy coated Dinosaur eggs) since I'm old and grumpy and noticed all kinds of ageism in this thread.
Wait...
Kid asks for gum
Mom says no
Man says "well, I guess we know who is in charge in that household!!"
How on earth is that unsolicited parenting advice? NO advice was given at all!
Why would you be annoyed at that? You should be happy that he saw that YOU are in charge, as the kid did not get the gum.
Agree, guy was either being a jerk or trying to be funny. Why would a kid be in charge anyway?
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