Wednesday, November 28, 2007

WWYD?

So Bella missed school Tuesday due to a hacking cough followed by phlegm (or as she put it, she "thowed up and swallowed it").

Guess I didn't feel bad for children outside of her class because we went to Target and then a super happy place for chicken nuggets and indoor playground.

My girls are wonderfully behaved while munching on their lunch as I survey the room. A family in front of us, also wonderfully behaved munching their food. A family across the room where the mother is yapping on her phone, her 2 year old is harassing the newborn, and the tag-along friend is in fa-la land with her fries.

Then the 2 year old bolts across the room towards the family in front of me. He STEALS a nugget right off one of the kid's trays. He begins to reach for some fries and Tag-Along decides to clue in and retrieve him.

Not 5 minutes later, he beelines for our table. I never touch him but I definitely told him "NO!" with emphasis on the N and the O. He grabs for whatever he can, then settles on a tug-of-war with me over Ava's chair. Now the mother, never getting of the phone, gives me a sorry "oh, sorry" and drags him off.

My kids go play. I protect Ava from Tiny Terror which bores him, so instead, he steals Bella's shoe and runs all around like a crazed maniac. I'm seething now and just as the mother grabs the shoe and brings it to me (STILL ON THE FRIGGIN PHONE) the goblin posing as a child tackles Isabella!

God bless Bella, she cried out "Why is my new friend pulling me down?"

Rather than get arrested for beating up a mother, I packed up my kids and we left.

I'm not a confrontational person, especially with strangers, because I get all red-faced, shaky and idiotic. However, when it comes to my children I get darn closer to bravery!

What would you have done?

9 comments:

Katrina said...

That's a tough call. There's not much you can do in those cases but, like you said, protect your children from harm and use the opportunity to remind them to be considerate of others.

It's hard, in the brief interaction we have with strangers' children, to discern if they are genuinely misbehaving or if they have a developmental problem of some kind. I know my sister-in-law struggles with other peoples' disapproving looks and comments when she goes out with her two autistic sons, so I try not to jump to conclusions, but there are plenty of misbehaved kids out there, too. Maybe you just saw them on an off day? (We can hope!)

I think you handled it just right, and taught your girls something about both boundaries and choosing their battles.

Jennboree said...

Well, I wasn't annoyed at the little boy for the very possible reasons you suggest. I got ticked because parental supervision means just that!

Don't even get me started on the dad yanking around his 2 year old triplets at the mall the other day. I would've taken those babies home with me on the spot!

Two year olds get a bad rap instead of adults trying to understand and keep perspective.

T-girl said...

Sigh, this is a hard on. I am in complete agreement... get of the F-ing phone and be a parent! Sorry, but just what you have stated I doubt we have an actual condition besides parenting skills or the lack there off... that will not stop the parents from sticking the kid on meds though in a few years for ADD... don't get me started on that. However even if that child DID have a disorder, there is no reason what-so-ever for the behavior. My neighbor also has two boys with austism and while they can be unrulely SHE is in charge and you know if they get up to mischeif she is right there to take care of it! It is not easy on her but bless her heart she does it well!

Anyways you hit on two of my pet peeves... non parenting and people being RUDE on the phone... to the fellow patrons, her children AND the person she was conversing with.

It is very hard NOT to say something but I have been known to make snotty comments in the past, however I don't beleive that is the way to handle it. You did EXACTLY right. Besides.... got willing Bella shared something special with her new friend and his Mommy! LMAO

T-girl said...

OMG! I meant to say HARD ONE!!!!!! I am so sorry, just call me "T the girl who sleezes up a joint!" LOL

Jennboree said...

HAHA..T, you crack me up :)

Maggie said...

Wow, I can't beleive she was on the phone the WHOLE TIME. What's the point of going out with your kids if you aren't going to pay attention to them? She might as well have gotten a babysitter. Obviously from the child's behavior this is not unusual. He'll take attention how and when he can get it. Poor kid.
I don't guess I probably would have done it but someone should have asked her to get off the phone and pay attention to her surroundings. She's putting other kids at risk, not just hers! Had I been the mother of the kid whose food got taken I would have had to say something, though. That's just WRONG. Of course, she probably would have just rolled her eyes and gone back to her phone conversation.

As my husband always says...it's a shame you have to have a license to drive but any idiot can have a kid.

tallulah said...

I am ALL about confrontation. So many people let parents get away with bad behavior that I end up always confronting people.

Speaking of Mickey D's.....Three weeks ago I was in the playland with Izzy. He had finished eating and was enjoying the slide. Two women came in with 8 children between them and sat the whole bunch down to pray before eating. They then let the kids play for awhile and then called them over for "home school time". The kids were in ages from about 9 to infant. Anyhoo....while they were "homeschooling" the kids, one took off and went through the door that was open to the main eating area ( he was about 2 1/2), and then I watched as he walked out the main door when somebody held it open for another adult. I then RACED out to the parking lot and grabbed him before a car could run over him.

Needless to say, those wonderful Jesus loving, homeschooling parents didn't even know their child was gone.

I carried their child back in and said, "Your son was in the parking lot." You know what she said? "Oh." That was it! I then said, "Um..no, your response should be...OH MY GOD! I AM SO SORRY! HOW CARELESS OF ME! THANK YOU!"

She then muttered under her breath about me going to hell and they gathered up their children and left. I'm sure I will burn in hell for not letting their children complete their daily lesson that day.

Some parents are just plain idiots.

Jennboree said...

HAHAHA, Tallulah. I can picture that whole scene going down and your total irritation with her lack of response.

Obviously anyone can give birth to a child but not everyone knows how to parent, even the Jesus lovin ones.

louann said...

Seriously?! I really don't know how I would have reacted / dealt with the situation. But I would definitely would have been 100% annoyed at how the mother could not stop talking on the phone (attention on children PLEASE!). But I don't think I would have said anything nasty either.Hmmm...I probably would have done the same - packed and walked away.