Why don't people watch their children? ARRGH - Page 10

Back to the original post - why was this child at the shower? Were children invited? Did the mom just decide not to get a babysitter? My kids are grown now - 23 and 26. When they were growning up, if kids were invited to whatever function we were going to then they were with us. If kids weren't invited, if I couldn't get a babysitter then I didn't go. My opinion, and only my opinion, I didn't think it was fair to the other guest who didn't bring their chindren for me to bring mine and by the same token, it wasn't fair to my children to bring them if there wouldn't be other children there for them to play with. It just made sense to me.

Huge kudos to all of you parents who are willing to do the hard work of parenting!!! My SIL and her hubbie are fantastic, loving parents & they have three great kids ranging from 9 to 12; the youngest is autistic. Theyve taught the kids manners and appropriate behavior, set expectations, and have been very clear and consistent with consequences. I remember dining out with them when the oldest was 5 and he began to act out; Mom & Dad were on it in a flash. Jr. had one chance to put his manners on, and when that failed he and Mom made a trip out to the car. This involved sitting with no music, no toys, and a very direct discussion about the bad behavior. Lets just say that sitting in the car with a disapproving parent and missing out on the fun inside was darn effective! Mom and Dad would take turns when a trip to the car was necessary; theyre willing to sacrifice their own wants and desires in order to raise great kids.

Since my hubbie and I dont have kids I think we probably find bratty behavior just that much more annoying . It seems like the parents either dont possess any manners (cant teach what you dont know), or are too egocentric to bother with their child. In any case, we go out of our way to give positive feedback when we spot great parents and kids in action (weve even sent dessert over in restaurants with parents permission of course). When I see a parent genuinely address their kids undesirable behavior in public I give them a smile and thumbs up. Ive been a Registered Nurse for 20 yrs and do appreciate the additional challenges special needs parents face my heart goes out to you and your child/children.

Food for thought parents of manner-less children arent doing their kids any favors. Employers spend a lot of time and money so they dont hire these kids when they become adults.

heddahope, I was cracking up at your story! My granddaughter was about 4 when she decided to throw a big fit in Sam's (is it something about that store or what? ). She laid down on the floor and was crying away. Like yours, she was usually very well behaved. I told my daughter (her mom), "Just leave her there and walk away. She'll get up and follow us when she see's she's not getting the attention."

Well, that didn't work. We were 2 aisles away and she was still crying. So we headed back, laughing about "well THAT tactic didn't work!". Fortunately there were some other parents in there who were laughing with us, and one mom even said, "Yeah, I tried that with mine once and it didn't work either!"


We do the very same thing. Our most recent was a family with 4 kids that looked like they were all under the age of 6. We stopped by their table on our way out of the restaurant and told mom and dad they had the best behaved children we had seen in a long time. The parents smiles were a great reward but the smiles on the kids faces were even better!

Every time I go to Costco, I feel like throwing a tantrum, too. I think it's the sheer size of the place and the quantity of items, and the volume and all of the humanity. Everything is magnified and amplified, including emotions. Get me out of there fast.