Sure, your kid is cute - now please keep it away from me

[LynneSin]

Why is it that people just assume everyone loves kids and the rest of the world doesn't mind if your kid bugging the shit out of other people.

I was stuck at the laundermat on Sunday. Mind you I have a W&D but my dryer is getting repaired this week and I was running out of clothes. I guess the girl behind the counter at the laundermat brings her kid with her to work, which is fine with me. BUT - I did not find it endearing for your kid to run to the change machine and start grabbing my quarters. (I'm guessing that the kid was doing a pavlovian response when she hears the machine goes off she can get free money). And I especially do not appreciate your child grabbing my clean laundry out of my basket and tossing it on the ground. I do realize that your boyfriend is an asshole who doesn't give 2 shits about your kid (hence back to the quarter incident when I asked the lil girl to go to her father, the guy who I thought was dad screams "That's not my brat") but if you're going to bring your child to work - please mind the child and don't assume the patrons in the store appreciates what basically became a nuisance.

I cannot wait to get my dryer working again - UGH!

[Strong Atheist]

1. That is just plain unacceptable behavior in a child. Agree with

all your statements.

[In_The_Wind]

2. Wouldn't that be nice!

[billyskank]

3. I agree, but

I'm still waiting for the shitstorm to start. :hide:

[LynneSin]

5. I'm really not trying to start one

Children are nice but please mind them and don't assume everyone else around you is thrilled about your kids especially when what you might perceive as 'cute' (stealing quarters and tossing clean laundry on the floor) isn't very 'cute' at all.

Thing is - this was a laundermat in the hip neighborhood in town NOT the one closest to me. I figured I'd get a better class of people using it over there and next time if I need a laudermat I'll just stick with the one closer to home!

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. Bad parents happen in every class though...and sometimes more

so in the hip, wealthy etc...

My daughter was raised in a trailer until she was nine. I like her a heck of a lot more than most of the boorish adults I meet. :hi:

[billyskank]

7. I know

I had an experience in a restaurant a few weeks ago where we were sat next to a family and their kids were just yelling at the top of their lungs and would not stop, and it really fucked up my meal, but I wasn't going to rant about it here because I've seen "kids in restaurants" flame wars before...

[CanuckAmok]

14. Brian Griffin in Family Guy.

Absolutely my favourite scene in the whole series is when he's being annoyed by a screaming infant at Denny's, and he just starts yeling at the parents, "WAA! WAA! HOW DO LIKE THAT, HUH?! THINK YOU CAN JUST BLOCK THAT OUT, HUH?! WELL BLOCK THIS OUT!!! WAA! WAA!! WAA!! WAA!!".

Man, I wish I had those guts.

[LostinVA]

16. I hate it when I'm in a restaurant sitting in a booth

And a child in the next booth keeps turning around and staring, talking, etc. If you smile and talk for a minute, then the child won't stop bothering you. Parents whose children do this rarely ever tell their child to sit down... and when they do, they usually give ME and my dinner companions a dirty look. I actually had us moved once when the little girl kept throwing her crayons onto our table and thus our plates. This was a very nice, adult-style restaurant that was outside of our budget... but it was celebrating something special.

This isn't being anti-child, and I'm not talking about a family restaurant like Chili's or something... although even then, I think you should expect to have people control their kids. I like kids, and I understand kids aren't little adults, thar's why they need their parents to teach them how to interact with people in public. And, I'm not talking about crying kids or fussy kids. Just this, and parents who let their children run around ANY eating place other than Chuck E. Cheese.

No way my Mom and Dad would have let us do this... nor my sister and BIL with my niece and nephew. There's home manners and public manners.

[mduffy31]

4. I too had a shitty experience at the laundromat

Read it here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5258200&mesg_id=5258200

[Beware the Beast Man]

8. There's a big difference between 'cuteness' and brattiness.

I usually err on the side of the kids on these types of threads, but you're not overreacting- this kid was out of line.

[Arugula Latte]

9. As a parent,

I give other parents a break and am understanding IF it looks like they are trying to put an end to bad behavior and are talking to the kids, taking them out of the situation, or whatever. If they just stand there and let the kids wreak havoc then I have no sympathy.

[LynneSin]

11. when I asked the mother to please come get her child

because the kid was pulling my clean laundry out of my basket, the girl replied "You don't have to be rude about it". Perhaps she should have that conversation with her boyfriend

[LostinVA]

17. As someone who isn't a parent, but who understands kids

from helping to raise my niece and nephew, I agree with you 100%. KIds go bonkers sometimes, especially if they're bored or hungry or tired. Or if Satan sudden;y slips into them for an hour or so. If parents are dealing with it, I ignore it.

[miss_american_pie]

10. How old was the child?

The kid has a mother you describe as a "girl" working in a laundrymat whose boyfriend refers to her child as a brat.

I think the kid's going to have bigger issues than just not knowing how to behave in public.

[progmom]

12. no kidding - that's really really sad

:(

[rug]

13. I hope noone was waiting to use your dryer.

[CanuckAmok]

15. A possible solution for next time:

Trail of quarters leading into an unused dryer.

Just sayin'...

[LostinVA]

18. I'm ashamed to say this made me laugh aloud!

[LynneSin]

19. I'm laughing too

then again you're my long loss sister, I swear it's true

[LostinVA]

20. I know... it's scary

I need to come visit next time I head to Philly or NJ.

[izzybeans]

21. No offense but surely there are bigger annoyances in life.

If you can figure out how to get a child to sit still for more than a minute in a place like a laundry mat then let me know.

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Ah, the old "One has a right to complain only about the ultimate

annoyance, and only that one person who suffers that one ultimate annoyance has a right to speak about it" argument for shutting down the dialogue.

:eyes:

Sheesh. We all have things that annoy us, and sometimes it helps to rant about it; and even though an annoyance isn't the universe's ultimate annoyance, it's still worth talking about.

[NC_Nurse]

23. As a parent, I agree with you on all points

The parent is responsible for keeping their child under control. It's not the child's fault. Sounds like the mother and her boyfriend just resent the child instead of parenting her. That sucks for everyone. I also think parents need to keep in mind that not everyone loves or even likes children, and even those who do are not always in the mood to deal with them. To let your child bother strangers who are stuck in public places with you is just asking for trouble.