Why do parents bring their BRATS grocery shopping?

[Coventina]

There I am, minding my own business, doing my weekly shopping, and a toddler in the near vicinity starts screaming. He's not crying, or upset. He's just screaming. Apparently he enjoys the sound of his voice. His mom completely ignores him. No reaction at all. This goes on. And on. And on. It went on the whole time I was in the store. It was STILL going on as I was checking out. I asked the cashier if they ever tell parents to shut their kids up. She says they are not allowed to EVEN IF OTHER CUSTOMERS COMPLAIN!!!

Well-behaved kids are fine. But why do irresponsible parents inflict their brats on the public? I hate them.

No, I am not a parent, but if I was, and my child did something like that, I would LEAVE THE STORE!!! And believe me, the child would learn NOT to do that VERY quickly.

My personal theory is that this sort of situation leads to our epidemic of child abuse. Bad parents ignore bad behavior until it becomes SO BAD that the parent loses control and abuses the child.

[madmax]

1. To annoy us who have already raised our kids and are glad

they're grown up and out. :evilgrin:

:bounce:

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

2. Eh

as a mom I just smile. Why am I smiling? Because I'm not THAT mom. LOL!

But I really just tune it out. I think that's from being around kids constantly. Before I was a mom that would have driven me to distraction.

As for what she should have done, well, the two times our daughter ever pulled something like that we DID leave. Immediately. I wasn't going to subject everyone else to that and she had to learn how to behave appropriately in public. Plus that's not an "inside voice," LOL!

But I don't really have much control over what other parents do, outside of abuse and neglect.

A sense of humor sometimes helps. I once smiled at a boy doing that same thing and I said, "Cat got your tongue?" His mom was standing nearby, saw me and gave me a tired smile. My daughter, a few years older than him, asked him about the toy he was holding.

He got distracted enough that he stopped the screaming. As we went past, the mom whispered thank you to me and I said not a problem. Been there.

I don't make it a habit to talk to other people's children as some people get a bit antsy about that, but she could see I was just another mom out with my kid.

[Catch22Dem]

3. I agree.

My daughter is very well behaved in the store. She has been known to slip up, which is fine, but for the most part she causes no trouble, and she's always quiet.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

4. Oh

you have one of THOSE kids. I always wondered....do you custom order them or what?

LOL. Is she also the type that never wanders off from you? Or never did if she is older? I always wanted a child who just...stayed...PUT.

[trotsky]

15. Heh

Yeah sign me up for one of those too.

My wife and I remind each other - we spend the first year of their lives encouraging them to walk and talk. And now it seems all we want them to do is SIT DOWN and SHUT UP. :-)

[Catch22Dem]

21. Oh, she has her monents

But she is usually really, really good.

[Bertha Venation]

5. My personal theory is that it is better to take your child to the grocery

store -- no matter how it is behaving -- than to leave it home alone. Perhaps that was the only option for the mother you encountered today. And perhaps it's not a matter of rudeness that she did or could not quiet the child. And perhaps she didn't take the kid out of there because of other factors not known to you -- her only chance to get out this week; her husband was drunk and about to beat the shit out of both of them, and he'd be passed out by the time she got home; possibilities are endless.

It costs little to give the benefit of the doubt.

It's a little harder to learn to choose what will upset you and what will not, but it's worth the attempt.

[trotsky]

6. "if I was, and my child did something like that, I would LEAVE THE STORE"

Good luck with that.

Look, we don't choose the behavior our kids exhibit. I have two, and they can go from perfect saints to demon-possessed in ten seconds flat. It's just what happens. And I'm sorry if they have a fit in public, but I have errands to run too. I don't have the choice to just leave the store, and even if I did, how does that punish the child?

Are there bad parents? Sure. But don't assume that every misbehaving child has a bad parent to blame.

I especially love how non-parents like yourself seem to have all the answers.

[Coventina]

18. This particular situation was NOT excusable

If the child had hurt himself in some way, I could understand.

He was just screaming to amuse himself. Even that I could understand if he did it once or twice. But this was a solid 30 minutes or so. No excuse for the parent to put up with that.

I love it how parents seem to think that anything THEIR kid does is a-ok and that non-parents don't deserve to have an opinion.

[trotsky]

22. Did I say it was a-ok?

You know the old saying, don't criticize someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes?

You have NO IDEA what it's like to raise a child, to go through hell days when there's just nothing you can do to console them, and to have all your housework, yardwork, errands, and everything else just pile up. You don't have a choice NOT to do all that stuff, you know. Being out in public is just that - you're in public. With loonies, riff-raff, and yes, loud children. Go shopping at 2am or something if you don't want to be bothered by children.

[curse10]

33. why don't parents go at 2 am?

Why inconvenience those of us that chose not to burden ourselvesand the world with offspring?

And the childless have every right to criticize- we were once children too. And I know for a fact that I never, not even once, threw a temper tantrum in the store. And neither did my two brothers. We weren't exceptional children, we had exceptional parents. We weren't beat. We weren't threatened. We were just raised right. We kept our tantrums in the privacy of our own home (or car, as it sometimes was). We weren't perfect children either- at home we were hell raisers- but put us in a church pew, a grocery cart, or a movie theater and we were seen, and not heard.

[trotsky]

42. How wonderful for you.

I'm glad that you & your family were gosh darn near perfect.

It's too bad that you don't understand not everyone is like you.

[curse10]

47. oh yes, oh so perfect

:eyes:

Please.

No one is fucking perfect-- we were just behaved during the correct moments in time.

And I do recall a time I threw a tantrum in public. My grandfathers funeral. I was fucking pissed that he was dead. My father took me out of the church.

[greatauntoftriplets]

49. Parents of young children are usually in bed and asleep at 2 a.m.

Most of them are also employed full time.

[curse10]

51. so are single people

that's the point

[trotsky]

52. Well then we have no choice but to just get along, do we?

:eyes:

[curse10]

53. well I just avoid the situation

I stay clear of children and their parents at all costs. No use for either.

[greatauntoftriplets]

55. Have you ever worked all day and then taken care of 1 child????

Or 3???

A crying child in a grocery store interrupts your sleep? If you think toddlers are bad, try dealing with teenagers.

[curse10]

57. no, thank god

and the 2 am remark was in response to someone who suggested that that is when the childless shop. It's ridiculous on both sides.

[greatauntoftriplets]

59. You prefer that the species dies out?

n/t

[curse10]

62. that's not going to be a problem

we have too many unwanted children as it is

[trotsky]

60. I didn't say you HAD to shop at 2am

only that if you didn't want to be bothered by the possibility of being in the store with a loud child, shopping at that time would be a reasonable course of action.

But if you want to shop at a time when a young parent will be too, then DEAL WITH IT.

[Coventina]

34. Well, if that's your attitude

We, as a society, are fucked.

"Don't bother trying to be at all considerate or polite. Nope. Whatever pleases me I'm allowed to do. If I don't feel like parenting today, because I'm tired, I don't have to."
Sounds like someone who should not have become a parent in the first place.

[trotsky]

44. You completely missed my point.

And thanks for judging me and my skills as a parent without knowing a single thing about me.

[Coventina]

73. I didn't mean YOU personally

I meant someone with that kind of attitude.

[trotsky]

76. So who do you know that has that attitude?

Did you ask the mom of the child if that was her attitude?

Or did you just make up a strawman to justify your prejudice?

[Coventina]

78. I was referring to the attitude

that would accept that there are no standards for public behavior.

[trotsky]

81. Ah, so in other words, a strawman.

Thanks for clarifying.

[HawkerHurricane]

7. Because...

they can't afford a babysitter, and if they don't buy food they'll starve.

I was a perfect parent once, too. Then I actually had kids.

[trotsky]

12. DING DING DING

Exactly. Well said, HH.

[BigMcLargehuge]

39. Thank you Hawker!

:)

[greatauntoftriplets]

50. Adding another thanks, Hawker.

:toast:

[qanda]

8. Go easy on us moms...

I probably would have left the store if one of my children did that, but kids have a way of embarrassing their parents. I always think my children misbehave until I hear of stories like this.

[HEyHEY]

9. To prevent me from ever wanting kids?

Or something

[JVS]

71. No way! Stories like this make me want to raise a small army of hellions

to spread terror and confusion throughout the world. Then I will be king!

[wickerwoman]

10. I wish supermarkets would offer a supervised play area

for $5 or $6 an hour even if it was only for a few days a week during regularly scheduled hours.

I understand that some people are too poor, frazzled or single to get a baby-sitter every time they need to run to the store but I think the store that caters to them would make a big profit in the long run. It would solve the problem of screaming children in the check-out line. The kids would be spared the boredom of being dragged through the aisles and the parents could shop in peace and get out of the store quicker.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

17. Just as an alternative view though

I do think it is good for kids to learn that they aren't going to be entertained in a play center all the time. I mean some things in life ARE boring and it's good for them to figure that out and become resourceful about it, either using their imagination and keeping themselves occupied in a non-destructive, non-ear blasting manner throughout the store, or just learning to deal with it.

If a store had that, I'd never go to that store.

[wickerwoman]

23. Well, it wouldn't be mandatory to leave your kids there.

Once they're past the screaming for candy phase, you could bring them around in the aisles with you.

And I think there are ways to teach your kids how to deal with boring situations without inconveniencing other people.

Do you object to doctor's and dentist's waiting rooms that keep toys and books for the kids to play with? How is this any different?

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

27. They aren't

but at least at the grocery store she's gotten a chance NOT to be entertained. There's got to be SOME times when they aren't, LOL!

And the reason I wouldn't go there is if I did, she'd beg to go to the play place every single time. Well not now that she is almost 10, but when she was younger, she would.

No big deal, I was just offering a different view on your idea, which by the way, I bet some parents would LOVE!

[wickerwoman]

58. That's cool.

Most towns have a few different grocery options. You could go to the non-play center one when you have lots of time, not dire need to shop and want to teach your kid about dealing with boredom and you could go to the play center one when you have ten minutes to get a list of stuff and you can't walk away from the cart if the kid starts screaming. I think it should be an option anyway.

[Droopy]

11. I suppose they have to bring them along

because it's not practical to get somebody to watch them every time they want to go somewhere. People's kids annoyh me sometimes, too, but not to the point that I'll complain about it. I figure it's just a part of life.

[Bozita]

13. Nanny's day off?

[curse10]

14. I dislike children all around

They are dirty, stinky, and noisy. No use for them. In the store you can at least move to another aisle. On the bus? You're fucked.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

16. And at least she wasn't the MOM

whenever I see a kid like that I think "thank GOD that isn't me and my child!" Because I can guarantee you the mom was having the worse time of it.

[Maple]

19. Why do grown brats go to the grocery store

and be selfish enough to complain about what parents do, while they fuss over their Perrier, and diet food, and date tonight?

[Coventina]

25. What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?

Are you saying that screaming in public is acceptable now?
Kids are supposed to learn correct social behavior while they are kids. They have to LEARN. This means that there will be unacceptable behavior at times, and then the parents will correct it, and the child matures and learns. This is all very natural. If the child had begun screaming, and the mother took corrective action, I would never have complained. She chose to completely ignore the kid for a solid 30 minutes. That is BAD PARENTING!!!!

And just FYI, I did none of those three things you snidely mentioned while I was shopping. Sheesh.

[trotsky]

29. OK, so what "corrective action" do you think she should have taken?

C'mon, this parenting stuff is easy, right? What would you have done?

[Coventina]

36. Told the kid to stop it and if that didn't work

LEAVE THE STORE!

The kid was at least 3 years old. Old enough to understand, "Be quiet!"

[trotsky]

40. Ah, leave the store.

And so how do you get food for the family?

A child may be old enough to understand what "be quiet" means, but that doesn't mean they will obey it. And what do you do when they choose not to?

[Coventina]

77. Oh please

The family is NOT going to starve to death over an aborted grocery trip now and then.

And as for children who disobey, well gee, I dunno....here's a radical notion: PUNISHMENT! And no, I don't mean physical punishment. Time outs, being deprived of certain privileges, etc.

[trotsky]

80. So you think those punishments always work, eh?

No, the family won't starve, but I never said they would. The fact remains, everyone needs staples. Sure, without eggs or orange juice the kids could just eat a can of creamed corn from the cupboard. Problem is, that consquence happens WAAAAY too long after the bad behavior for the child to associate misbehaving in the store with not getting their desired breakfast food.

It just seems that you people without children think that they are perfect little stimulus-response machines. Well, they're not.

[HEyHEY]

41. I was gonna suggest thirty lashes with the cat-o-nine

[Maple]

38. It means grow up

and stop worrying about what other people do.

Raise your own kids your own way.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

70. It is not as easy

to correct bad behavior as you might think. The younger the child is the longer it will take them to learn. They will learn eventually. It might take years.

[curse10]

26. Ahhhhh

the proverbial attack against single/childless people. We don't all have to like or want children. That doesn't make us bad people. Some people are highly annoyed by all children. I'm one of those people. God forbid any like minded people voice this here- they get attacked. Every. Single. Time.

I don't know how many times I've had to say this, but I'll do it again. Single people are no more or less selfish that the people that want to procreate. That word is always bandied about regarding the childless, and it's plain ol' hypocrisy at its finest.

[trotsky]

35. No, it does not make you a bad person if you don't want to have children.

But what does make you a bad person is if you criticize a parent for how they handle their children without ever having been in that situation yourself. You are catching a glimpse of their lives - you have no idea how the rest of the day has gone, or the previous week, or maybe even since the kid was born (perhaps they have a behavioral disorder?). But yet in that little glimpse so often childless people feel they have all the answers and take out their anger on a parent who might just be trying the best they can.

[curse10]

43. we all criticize everyone

I can criticize a parent and their bratty kid if I want. And it still doesn't make me a bad person. I may not have done it first hand (thank god) but I know plenty of people that do and I witnessed it first hand as a child. And if I ever do have a kid (which is years off, I hope) I will at least have learned how to NOT raise my kids. And I hope to god I don't have the same attitude that some parents seem to have here. I won't blame my kids behavior on my kid.

We all make snap judgements everyday- with only a glimpse into our lives. No different than say, a parent, who in this same thread made assumptions about the "single" girl on her cellphone in the grocery store, or the "single" person buying diet food and perrier.

[trotsky]

46. And all I'm saying

is that it's completely out of place for you to criticize a parent when you have no experience being one yourself.

[curse10]

48. then, by that rationale

we can't criticize the president because we have no experience being one ourselves :eyes:

Bogus argument.

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[trotsky]

67. What a ridiculous analogy.

Politics versus parenting. We are all of us involved in politics in some way or another, but not all of us are parents. And I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but sometimes kids misbehave no matter HOW good their parent is.

[Spinzonner]

20. Oh , lighten up

If this the worst thing that happens in your life, you are blessed.

Don't forget, these kids are going to be paying your Social Security someday. Without them, there aint no money when you retire.

[HEyHEY]

24. Reminds me of a kids in the hall skit

"Hey lady, you wanna shut that yakky kid up?"
"Excuse me"
"Your kid - he yaks, make him stop"
"Well you'll make a FINE parent"
"I would, except I wouldn't have such a yakky kid."

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

28. I do have a question:

you mentioned it to the cashier, but why didn't you just ask the mom about it?

Heck, maybe there's something more to the story. It actually sounds to me like she was trying out the "ignore the behavior and it will eventually stop" theory that almost all parents try at some time or another. I never usually tried it in public, but you won't ever know in this situation because you didn't ask HER about it.

You could have said, "Wow is he having a bad day? I bet you are too, huh?" or "that reminds me, I need to pick up some aspirin, want me to pick you up a bottle?" then laugh warmly.

[MichiganVote]

30. Actually I've seen grown adults behave as bad or worse

and BTW, you know those single mom's or middle class squeezed families we keep hearing about---they are in the stores with kids who are tired or in need of parents who are not over worked and over stressed.

[stopbush]

31. Geez, what could be worse than a screaming kid in a store?

How about:

- the asshole yuppie driving his Hummer around the lot oblivious to those around him

- the cell phone single girl who shouts her life story into the device while in the check out line

- the self-absorbed single queen who thinks 6-item express lane restrictions are for other people, not her

- the pushy jackass who doesn't need to take a number in the deli section

- the woman who asks to pay for a wee little bottle of aspirin at the pharmacy window...and then unloads the basketful of crap she's been hiding under the counter

- the "don't leave home without it" chick who calls for the store manager when her AMEX isn't accepted in the *cash only* line

- the never-quite-finished-shopping boob who parks their cart in the check out lane and then disappears for 10 minutes as they get *just a few more things*

- the line cutter who asks the person at the front of the line if they can cut, but never asks the 10 people standing behind them

- the shopper who always seems to find a friend or relative already in the check out line...and gloms onto their space with a couple of carts worth of crap

Yeah, I'll take the screaming kid, if you don't mind.

[Nay]

56. Betcha all these adults you have mentioned, Stopbush, started

out doing something just like the screaming kid in the first post. And the parents did nothing, just as described in the first post.

Yeah, I am a parent and my kid tried the screaming and tantrums a couple of times, but that ended pretty damn quickly with swift and sure consequences.

I am not an unsympathetic person and I also can think of a dozen reasons why Mom might be tired, etc., but that's no reason for not doing your job. Sorry. Especially if the kid screamed for 30 minutes just to hear his own head rattle. I have known parents like this and generally it ain't pretty to watch the kids when they become teens.

[stopbush]

61. I've got two kids, 7 & 11, and they are angels in public.

That's because we started them out going to restaurants and stores early in their lives and insisted on best behavior and "restaurant voice" in a public setting. And, yes, we've up and left places if the kids were getting past their limit, which is usually about 90 minutes. At this point in their lives, they're great.

But having had kids, I tend to filter out the kiddy noises that REALLY annoyed me when I was young, single and footloose. It comes with age and kids, I guess.

[tedoll78]

32. Don't get me started!

AARGH.

The 'screaming for no reason' business? I can deal with that a bit more than parents who let their children wander all around, getting in the way and underfoot of those trying to get their shopping done efficiently. I don't have time to run, jump, and squeeze through a DoubleDare obstacle course constructed of rugrats. Leash 'em, harness them, put them in the basket.. just be a friggin' parent!

[Katarina]

37. Leash them? Harness them?

WTF?!? Are they Sorry but my kids have just as much right to WALK in the store as you do.

[Name removed]

74. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

83. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

45. Get a grip!

Toddlers do those type of things. You might have been that way too when you were a tot. I don't particularly think that child was being bad. The parent might not have even been bothered by it.

My son is currently a toddler (22 months). My son likes to hear his echo. He finds it interesting and I see nothing wrong with it. Some times he does this when I'm shopping. If he is annoying me, I'll scold him for it, but he doesn't always listen. Usually, I distract him with a toy to try to keep him quiet. If I have something to do, like grocery shopping, I'm going to do it, whether he's making noise or not. I frankly don't care whether childless people are bothered by it. Maybe you need to learn to be more tolerant of young children?

When you have a child of your own you might think differently of the situation you are describing.

[wickerwoman]

69. But how will you teach your son to be considerate of others

if you are so inconsiderate yourself?

You frankly don't care if the noise that your son is making bothers other people- perhaps giving them a screaming headache and ruining their day. Will you care when he rides his bike over their flowers destroying them? Will you care if he runs his tricycles into people's leg so hard it leaves bruises? Will you care if he throws food at other people in restaurants jacking up their dry cleaning bills? Will you care when he's older and breaks another kid's arm with rough play? Will you care when he has irresponsible unprotected sex? Will you care when he doesn't pay taxes or drives drunk or steals from his employer?

At what point does our (and your) tolerance of inconsiderate behavior need to stop?

"When you have a child of your own" says it all. "When" not "if". Look, I'm never having a child. I would get a hysterectomy tomorrow if it was free and there were no long term health effects. I don't like children and I have chosen not to have them in my life. That's my choice. I respect your right to choose to have a child and put up with the noise, expense and inconvenience. But you *really* need to respect other people's choices. Or how can you teach your son to do the same?

I think it's the supermarkets responsibility to either provide you with a play area for your child or to ask you to leave if the noise your child is making upsets and annoys other customers. One screaming child can ruin 60 people's days and just because you're used to the noise, doesn't excuse it.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

84. You can't please everyone...

This is what I mean by "I don't care". Seriously, it would be a major waste of time to worry about what everyone else feels about my child's behavior.

Making a little noise is hardly criminal, nor will it lead to criminal behavior in the future. You are over-reacting big time.

If you don't want to have children, good for you. Just don't criticize other people's parenting. It's not your place to do so.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

63. Just for a different point of view:

I was in Whole Foods with my nine year old daughter last week and a mom and her son were in there--the boy looked to be about four or five.

Well, he wanted to watch the produce guy whack up the ears of corn, so he stood there and watched him and asked about a million questions. The produce guy was amazingly patient and explained everything to him. Every explanation made the kid have five more questions, LOL! I watched and smiled. What an incredibly curious kid! I swear, he was like a scientist in the making.

So then we saw them on another aisle and my daughter was drinking her Jamba Juice (frozen smoothie) through a straw and the kid was fascinated with the whole straw mechanism. He told his mom "I wanna watch her drink it!" and my daughter obliged. Then she told him a bit about gravity (her simple understanding of it). THAT did it. He tagged along behind us the rest of the time, asking us both question after question and we answered them as best we could.

"What is that?" "Why is it called that?" "What are you doing?" "Is that candy?" etc. We LOVED it. His enthusiasm and glee over everything was contagious (I wondered at one point how much the kid gets out, LOL!).

As we were getting ready to check out, he hugged my daughter very suddenly and yelled, "Thanks for being my BEST FRIEND!" My daughter looked appropriately embarrassed, smiled, and said "you're welcome" and he ran off. We completely had fun with him!

(The mom was kinda trailing us the whole time.)

Anyway. Just thought I would share that kid in a grocery store story.

[Amaya]

64. There has to more important things to complain about....?

[greatauntoftriplets]

65. Would you please first return all the perishable stuff ...

...from where you picked it up, so the rest of us don't have to pay for groceries you chose and decided to leave in the store?

It pisses the hell out of me when I see meat rotting because someone has changed their mind and left it to rot. Same with cheese, milk, eggs, etc.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

66. Oh that is totally rude

and it pisses me off when I see that, too. I mean how HARD is it to just return the thing from where you got it?

Actually, I have my daughter take it back where it belongs. There ARE good points to having a child, LOL!

[greatauntoftriplets]

68. Yes, it drives up costs for the rest of us.

Food costs enough as it is.

[Happy Eddie]

72. Sugar poisoning?

I sometimes wonder if some of that bratty behavior isn't just unaware parents or self-indulgent views of discipline, but totally whack diets. Seems to me that there are more really nice kids around than in the past, and more screamers; I can't help but wonder if many of the latter are on a sugar high or its aftermath.

Happy Eddie
pleasant child, cranky adult

[KittyWampus]

75. A Young Child Screaming For 30 Minutes Is Screaming FOR ATTENTION!!!

I'm not blessed with children but love to observe and interact with them in public... as well as the Mom's and Dads.

There are some Mom's who talk to the little one in the wagon's seat.... And some who seem almost oblivious to the little personality in their company.

Somehow I have a feeling that kiddies who scream and misbehave to such a LARGE EXTENT are most likely not getting the proper kinds of attention.

And NO I don't suggest that a parent has to put kiddie in the center of their universe at every moment.

But as you are picking up the box of macaroni and cheese you can say to in kiddie's general direction "here's that box of macaroni and cheese you like so much".

Or, if kiddie is around 2 or 3 you can ask "would you rather have the m & c or the pasta roni tonight" so the kiddie feels a part of things and learns how to make decisions.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

79. Oh my God you are bringing back such memories for me

my kid wasn't a screamer but she was a MAJOR wanderer. Wanted to get OUT of that basket and run off! So I had to use a LOT of distraction and even talk about things she couldn't possibly understand just to keep her put (forget the strap thingie, she was a Baby Houdini from birth!).

So I'd get looks while keeping up a running dialogue with a squirming 15 month old in the basket: "Let's SEE....the 32 ounce can of Ranch Style beans is 19 cents per ounce and the SMALLER can is 32 cents per ounce, well I think that's an easy decision, don't you? Do you want to hold it? Look, BEANS."

Ug, it was tiring. And it was the only way I got meals cooked, too. I narrated each meal I cooked like I was Julia Freaking Childs just so she'd not get into things and make a huge mess.

[IronLionZion]

82. because they spared the rod

and spoiled the child. And they wonder why their child misbehaves.

[hlthe2b]

85. The whole reason why I shop very late at night or extremely early in AM

While I know parents don't really have a choice but to bring them and it is difficult to come back if their child misbehaves, that is exactly what my parents did with me and my sister. They would immediately remove us from a public store, restaurant, or whatever at the FIRST indication of a temper tantrum starting.

I empathisize with parents who need to shop and deal with the kids, but they need to respond when their child misbehaves, even if it means coming back to shop later. Otherwise, they are reinforcing the temper tantrum behavior AND unfairly annoying everyone else in the store.

[Ilsa]

86. I have a child that does that...

he has autism, and sometimes he gets really upset and can't tell me why, so he starts crying. Loudly. It's easy for a seven yo to do. You can't tell by looking at a child if they have a developmental disability like that unless you are trained for it, so don't tell me there was nothing wrong here unless you happen to know that family.

I try not to take my kds grocery shopping, but sometimes I have no choice; it's either finish shopping or do without milk or bread or whatever. The mother probably isn't too happy about it either.

BTW, the last time this happened to me when my child was crying, I did everything I could to get out of the store as fast as possible. But some shithead woman ahead of me was apparently completely unperturbed that my child was melting down, and she asked the bag-boy to run fetch her a dozen items.

Maybe you need to appreciate that you aren't the parent of a disabled child or a child with behavior problems that might be related to a genetic or environmental problem.

[BigMcLargehuge]

87. Locked

I'm tellin!
Tattletale!
I know you are but what am I?
Chickenbutt!
MOOOOOOOOOMMMM He/She's on my side of the seat again!
etc...

"...Cleanup in aisle 5"

Big McLargehuge
DU Moderator