What would you say to a mother who does not control her child in a store?

Are you kidding me? If you can't tell someone how to behave in your own store, when can you? If I were you I would have told them to leave, politely of course. I would have confronted the mother and told her she did have to pay for the item since it was her children who broke the item. My parents always told me that if I broke something it was mine! What happened? When did that change? So you're telling me that this mother is doing a fine job of teaching her children personal responsibility...

You have the right to ask the lady for the payment. The boys should have been penalized. I understand the value of a customer but by no means she is allowed to roam their children around and break valuable items. I would ask the mother to take care of her children and if she would not do anything. I would ask her to leave the shop with all due respect. that would be my response.

This would absolutely infuriate me! Parents or other adults should be aware that children can be unruly, and adapt their own actions when in public places with a child, especially where the child can either get hurt, or where they can be destructive. Too many parents think that they shouldn't discipline their children too much, or shouldn't treat them like there are places they are not accepted, but in reality, kids need discipline, and they need to know responsibility, and they need to be TAUGHT how to act in different situations! It is not an innate quality, and it is the responsibility of those raising these children to recognize and constantly act on and follow through with teaching proper behavior!

You want good customers and repeat customers, but a customer who's costing you money isn't something you want repeated and isn't a good customer. If I owned the store after that first polite warning you gave her by speaking to the boys, I would have warned her directly that if they break it she's bought it or they could leave now.

Things like that drive me insane. There's so many times where I've wanted to pull the kids in line and give the parents a slapping and an earful. Unfortunately in this day and age, doing such a thing would most likely get me sued. I'm not sure how much you're allowed to do with store policys. Like are you allowed to have and enforce a "You break it, you bought it" policy? If you have signage in the store can that be a legally binding agreement for anyone who enters? I know it'd be a bit hard to enforce at times, because people would just abuse you and leave... but still. If it had been me I would have asked her to pay for the item. $95 might be a wake up call she needed. Even if she ended up refusing to pay and leaving, the fact that she was pulled up and told to pay could've shaken her up a little.

Yeah i really dont appreciate people whose kids have no self control. It may be mean to say that but nobody enjoys when a child flips out because he can't have a toy or something in the check out line. I would politely ask the mother to restrain her child because not everyone likes the noise that an obnoxious ten year old can make. Ok maybe i wouldn't be that blunt but i would say something along those lines. I personally think that it is the parents job that children act the way they do because children are not just born annoying, their parents or other outside influences have to shape who they are.

I have 3 young children, a 5 yr old and 4 yr old twins. I dont like to take them into stores because of this, lol! My twins have a problem grabbing everything! When I do take them into small stores I make sure that they stay right with me and that I watch every move they make and I keep reminding them not to touch anything! I hate it when parents let their kids run around and they don't do anything about it! Just a few weeks ago my husband and I went into a small grocery store to do our grocery shopping. A woman was in there with her son who looked to be about 5 years old. The kid was running up and down the aisles, running right in front of people, screaming and yelling.. the mom just did her shopping acting as if she hadnt even noticed! If she saw someone looking at him then she would just yell across the store, "get over here!" Everyone in this store was talking about her kid being so out of control! My husband made a point to say loudly, "we have 3 kids that behave better than that one!".. and the mother just didn't care! I mean, what are these parents thinking to let their kids behave like that?? I would be soo humiliated!!

I would have made her pay for it. Seriously, if she is not going to take responsibility for her children, then she will pay for their mistakes, and she will learn.

I know the custom of business is that the customer is always right. But in this case I do believe Ofter Your asking the boys to look with their eyes and not to touch the mother called them over to her then proceeded to ignore them I would have to ask her to come back some other time when she can come with out the boys. I don't know how much you lost with the broken piece but in these hard time it was too much. I can't believe she continued to look around after the boys broke the item.

I would not say anything what business is it of mine? My daughter throws a tantrum and I let her do it and when she is finished she gets up and carries on. It is more harmful to your child to shout and scream at them. They will learn they get attention this way. It is far better to let your child get it out of their system. As long as you are there and they are safe. Far better than making a big deal out of it.

My goodness! They broke it so they have to pay it! That is the policy in the stores here and I think that is just fair. I mean customers must be responsible enough. Like that woman, if she can't have her kids behave in store or any public place, she should rather not tag them along. Let them stay inside their house where they could do and break anything they want without disturbing other people. Well, children are really hyperactive and unruly most of the time, but with proper discipline they will know how to behave. It's the mother's duty to train her children and obviously she did not do that. Well if I were you, I'd not allow them to go out of my store unless they paid the broken stuff, or else I'd call the police. It is not the money but it is just to teach the woman good lesson.

Yeah I hate those mother who doesn't discipline their children in public places. I won't really go to the mothers and say stuff but I really don't appreciate those mothers.

Oh this really drives me nuts. I don't think people should bring their children in a place where valuable stuff is being sold unless they know how to control them. I have dealt with this problem being a small business owner and I mean what can you do. Some of the mothers just, like you said tell them to settle down. I've gotten people come in that doesn't even watch their children in the store, just lets them run wild, until they get ready to leave. I cannot believe people would do that. I would never allow my children to run around a store unattended, whether it be a small store or big store. I've always told my customers to please do not allow their children to play in the store, but it has no effect. I have put a sign up that says if you break it you buy it, parents really pay attention to that and they tell their children not to touch anything. Which is a good thing. I wouldn't actually make them pay for it, if anything were to get broken but for them to think they will have to pay works. Great discussion!

Since you are the business owner and you are trying to run a business you should have thrown them out. If you break you buy it is the rules I have always heard. Many antique or stores with fragile items even put signs up to that affect. I suggest the next time she comes in with her kids and they don't stay together ask if she could come back at a later time when the children aren't with her. You don't want anymore accidents. I am a mother of two and I always keep my children with me and make sure they don't touch. I expect other parents to do the same. I don't want to hear any excuses because I have an autistic child who loves lines so he will try to stand on his head to follow a line of a shelf. It can be rather stressful. If you can't keep your children in check then you shouldn't have them in public. What if someone takes them? This mother was out of line. You let her get away with it though so if it is a problem for you you have to let the parents know. You're trying to make a living too. It's hard to tell people not to do something but it's your lively hood at risk. What if other customers were in there and they got annoyed to the point of leaving without making their purchase? Was the mother and two kids worth ruining your business? It sounds like you are a really sweet person and she may have just been taking advantage of you.

I would suggest a nice big sign or even several smaller but very visible ones stating "BREAKABLES!! PLEASE CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN! YOU BREAK IT, YOU BUY IT!" There's no reason that woman shouldn't have been expected to pay for the broken frame. I would have taken the frame to her, told her that her children broke it, told her she was responsible for paying for it and then asked her to take her children and leave. That's $95.00 your out and her kids are laughing about it. Even without the broken frame, I would have asked the woman to either control her kids or take them elsewhere. I think that if parents aren't going to control their kids then keep them home. Why take them out if your going to let them run wild. [b]~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~ **STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS**[/b]

I don't like that either - and by that age my kids did behave. We have a store like yours here and my kids still calls it "Hands on the top of your heads" store - since it was the thing I used to say when we entered. I would at least said I'm sorry! If my kids would do that they would say they were sorry, since I know it would have been an accident. We used to have a similar store here where they had a sign outside saying children not welcome - I know I would have spent money there - but since I had kids (well behaved) I wasn't welcome - they didn't last long beacause of that. It must be hard for shop owners with that sort of problems!

I would have not done anything because I have no right to interfere with how the mother would raise her kids. it would concern me more if the kids are harmed or anything like that. That's the time I will talk to the mother but this incident is clear that the mother has no control over her kids. Maybe it's her way of ignoring her kids because She knows that what they are doing is unacceptable anymore. Some kids just want the attention and they don;t behave until they are given the attention and so tehy do things that are unacceptable.

Wow, that is annoying! I would have told her, that her kids broke it, or made it obvious of what they had done, without asking for anything. When I worked at a clothing store, I often told the kids to stop playing with the clothes and that usually was enough, well, they don't break at least. Once a grandma came to me grabbing her grandkid and asked me to scold him for her! Some adults really just don't know how to control their kids.

I hate people like this. If you're going to a store where you cant watch your children, make sure you go when you have someone who CAN watch them. If she was paying so little attention to them, something way worse could have happened than a piece of glass breaking.

wow. i gotta hand it to you for keeping your composure in that one! i am also the mother of small boys and know how difficult it can be to keep control, if you are trying! i cannot imagine allowing children to run rampant in a store such as that. i think it's sad that some parents are not more concerned with teaching their children the basics of respect. i cannot say how i would have handled your situation, i can only hope as well as you did!