You know the type of parent that is completely oblivious when their kids are unruly, running amok, annoying other people, and are even possibly in danger?
They are great actors
I have no patience for those that make a habit out of ignoring their children. These same people usually assume that other people will watch out for their kids. And it’s kind of true I suppose…at least for me (when the child is doing something potentially dangerous – I can’t NOT keep an eye on him/her). But back to my point…
Unruly Children
They run.
They jump.
They scream.
They yell.
Which makes me want to scream and yell, and smack their parents upside the head.
In stores, they dart back and forth in front of my shopping cart. I cannot move. What I really want to do is “accidentally” run them over with my cart, but hey, it’s really not their fault. The fault lies with the mother (or father…but usually’s it is mom). I glance around trying to locate a parent, and I cannot locate one immediately upon further scanning, I spy with my little eye, someone who jut has to be the parent. This person is clear across in the produce section, nowhere near their child, and acting as if the child did not walk in the store with her and he/she does not belong to her.
The oblivious parent(s)
I will never understand how a parent can not only ignore what their children are doing, but that they don’t give two shits if their kids are bothering other people. I was always cognitive of this when my own were little. Hell, I figured if they were driving me insane, then they were DEFINITELY driving others inside. Not cool at all, so I quashed that behavior as soon as it began (or even before). Don’t even get me started on how easy it would be for a bad person to snatch these same kids up and take them. Although I’m sure they would be returned rather quickly. You chose to have children, so be fair to them, and keep an eagle eye on them.
Sure, shopping is a lot easier without the kids, but you CHOSE to bring your kids, so dammit, watch them! Christ.
While pondering life’s many mysteries at a bus stop the other day (don’t judge), I witnessed a little boy, who was about 3 I guess. He also had a younger sibling in a nearby stroller. There was a huge fountain with a base full of water, and the little boy was leaning over the base, jumping on and off it and generally just making me nervous.
What was his mother doing? She had her back turned, and she was talking on her phone. Now call me silly, but you don’t take your eyes off of your kids at any time, but to have your back turned too, near water? I sat there dumbfounded, wanting to call the mother every name in the book: Bitch, Dumbass, Dingaling, A-hole, Moron, etc.
It always puts me in an awkward position when I see unattended kids. Do I say something? Well, shit, I don’t want to see any child hurt of course, but dammit, I have raised my kids and it isn’t my responsibility to carefully watch other people’s kids. My bus finally arrived and I assume that the kid was okay, but my blood was boiling.
I was in Michael’s a few weeks ago, and there was a little one, about 1 1/2 or 2, kind of standing/teetering in the front section of the cart. My first thought was, “Oh God, that child is going to fall out”. Now me personally, when my kids were little, I would have been holding their hand even when they were in the cart, as I looked at stuff. Before I even had a chance to catch my breath after witnessing this, the little one fell out of the cart, HARD, and hit his/her head on the floor and screamed bloody murder. You know what? I’ll bet the mother didn’t learn a damn thing from this. I imagine she STILL doesn’t pay attention to her kid at the store.
What the hell is wrong with people?!?! People – parent your kids!