Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Zoe Armstrong: Five Ways to Fake a Break and Avoid Parenting Burnout
Lianne Castelino and Andrea Howick: How Do You Deal With Nightmare…
Hooligans for lunch
Filed under: Preschoolers, Big Kids, Just For Dads, Places To Go, Development/Milestones: Babies
"They're being kids, lady. Take a chill pill." That's what the man said after Rachel asked him to ask his kids to sit down. We were on our way to Calistoga for a few days rest and relaxation with Rachel's kin and had stopped to get some lunch. We ended up at the food court of an outlet mall because Sara declared her immediate need to "go potty".We were mostly done with lunch and I had taken Jared to the bathroom. I came back to see two boys rolling around on the floor wrestling next to our table. They were bumping into Rachel's chair and Sara was watching them instead of finishing her lunch. A third boy was sitting, alone, at a nearby table. Rachel, who, after more than twenty-five years experience working with kids, two degrees, and two kids of her own, knows these things, pegged them as four, five, and six years old.
That's when a man -- presumably their father -- came over to the boys' table and Rachel asked him, politely, to ask the kids to sit. He responded rudely, and declared that our children must be boring, presumably because they know how to behave in a restaurant. Rachel scooped up the kids as I dumped our trash and we took Sara to go to the bathroom once more before leaving.
Rachel was extremely upset by the man's rudeness and didn't want to go back out past him, but he and his brood were between us and the car. When we went out, he was no longer there; he and his kids had moved outside where they were running around and climbing on the twenty-five cent ride-on toys. We headed to the car, loaded up the kids, and took off.
It was a rather unpleasant experience, and I definitely would have liked to give him a good talking too, but I doubt it would have accomplished anything. So we left it at that and filed it as a story to tell. Perhaps, though, there would have been a better way to handle it? What would you have done in such a situation?
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Parenting Advice on Motivating High School Kids
Non-profit executive Kyung Yoon contrasts her approach to what has become known as the Tiger Mom approach. With her two sons, Yoon makes it a point to embrace their individuality and tailor supportive parenting approaches to motivate each of the boys.
-
How to Deal with Kids that Break the Rules
Learn how to deal with kids that break the rules in this series of parenting advice videos.
-
How to Discipline Difficult Kids
Learn how to discipline difficult kids in this series of parenting advice videos.
-
How to Get Your Kids to Come to The Dinner Table
Susan Stiffelman gives parents advice on how to get their children to the dinner table without having to ask many times.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-21-2007 @ 11:51AM
W. H. Heydt said..."Yes, they are kids. They are *your* kids and you are *not* a kid. If you won't teach them manners, who will?"
Reply
6-21-2007 @ 5:04PM
Mamacita said...That's when you ask the management to throw them out of the establishment. Unruly kids in public are the pits, and an idiot parent is the ultimate pit.
The management probably won't do it because managements are notoriously undertrained and afraid to offend the general public these days, but honestly? As a member of the general public, I'm sick of families who don't REQUIRE proper behavior in a public place for people of ALL ages.
That includes the non-parenting parent in this scenario.
Reply
6-21-2007 @ 1:00PM
LS said...Bypass the parent. Look directly at the kids and say (in your firm, "I'm a parent, don't mess with me" voice), "excuse me, but if you're going to wrestle, please do not do it here - you are knocking into my child, and i don't want her hurt."
You've been polite. You haven't laid a hand on the kids. But you've also conveyed that you will not budge, and you'd be surprised at how many kids will listen. This happened to me recently at our local pool... I have no idea where the wrestling boys were, but the boys were making a ruckus in the kiddie pool where toddlers were trying to play in the water. After waiting for lifeguards to say something, and after noticing several parents' disgusted looks but lack of action, I put a stop to the boy's nonsense. They took their horseplay elsewhere. And you know what? Their parents (wherever they were) didn't say a word to me. But several OTHER parents thanked me for stopping the nonsense.
I'm sick of everyone being so PC that they won't stand up for themselves and others in the face of obvious and blatant rudeness.
Reply
6-21-2007 @ 1:01PM
LS said...oops, that should have been, "I have no idea where the wrestling boys PARENTS were..."
sorry
Reply
6-21-2007 @ 1:52PM
Rachel May said...I've done what LS did. I've also found a manager.
Reply
6-21-2007 @ 2:24PM
Judi said...I would have wanted to say, "No, their not boring, they just have proper manners." But, I probably would have just done much as your wife did.
The other morning at the school bus stop a bunch of boys were having a pine cone fight, drilling each other and chasing each other into the street with no regard for traffic. Two parents were standing there talking to each other and ignoring the whole thing. (the bus stop is in front of my house.) I yelled out the window, "knock off the pine cone fight!" in my ' I was raised on a farm and can yell hella loud' voice. They all stopped dead in their tracks, dropped the pine cones and returned to their positions in line. The other parents were just looking at me like, 'what's wrong? nobody got ran over by that speeding dump truck or anything...' Arrrgh!
Reply
6-21-2007 @ 2:34PM
M4Mommy said...I would have used my "parent voice" and said something to the boys. But I have no issues telling kids,, or adults, what for.
Reply