bad parenting in public
By megumiart
@megumiart (3771)
United States
July 24, 2009 3:15pm CST
One of the things that gets at me the most is when parents are totally nonchalant and pay no attention to their kids while they do what they want.
Yesterday I was in the waiting room of a doctor's office. A woman with three elementary age kids was there, asking to use the office phone, because she lost her cell.
She got on the phone and chatted away, like no one else was in the room, while her kids raised hell. Then a nurse came and called one of her sons for his appointment. She turned her back to the nurse, and kept chatting. The boy didn't really know what to do, tugged a little at his mom, then just gave up and went with the nurse by himself.
The mom finally finished her chitchatting, and brushed past all the other waiting people into the back, not even saying anything to her two other children.
She was also very rude on her way out, to the receptionists.
Do you ever see people like that?
Do you do anything about it?
Don't you think the kids will just grow up to ignore and treat their own kids the same way, so this type of people just keeps coming back throughout the generations?
4 people like this
12 responses
@Kowgirl (3490)
• United States
24 Jul 09
My daughter and her husband do this and I can't stand it. Kids need supervision away from home and in their home. The worse they get is their father screams at them for about 2 minutes then they go and do whatever they want. I don't think they hear a word he says. The boys are 11 and 8 years old and haven't been punished once by their parents in their lifetime. Not even a time out. They waste, tear up and have no respect for anything. When asked why they tear up the things in the house they just shrug but never give an answer.They are 2 spoiled brats who will find out how hard life is when they get older and can't have their way. Parenting is a job no one wants to face up to anymore.
These children may end up with problems that will take a profesional to help them cope with life or become the opposite of how they were raised and become the parents from hel*! You see this kind of parenting every day...and it isn't pretty.
1 person likes this
@Kowgirl (3490)
• United States
27 Jul 09
After reading and responding to this discussion I had a long talk with my daughter and it seems she has seen the light. She had a nice talk with her children about the way they have been acting. She also explained to them what will happen if they don't change. They will be punished for their irresponsible actions whether at home or outside the home. They now have a chart that they have to go by with chores to be done daily and with rules they have to follow when out in public as well as at home. She has cut down on the time she spends at the gym so she can spend more time with them. It seems her time was all they needed or wanted. In just a few days you can see an improvement in their behaviour.
@Sweeten (159)
• United States
25 Jul 09
This annoys me too, just the other day I saw a mom carrying her child on a leash and was walking around like nothing was wrong and I thought hey why dont you just let him go potty in the grass over their or tie him up on a pole while you shop. There are some people out there that would die to be a parent but cant be and meanwhile you have these people out there who dont even care. You would think hey these are my own children and I need to grow up and be a parent, but they just seem to be in their own little world, and are extremely selfish.
1 person likes this
@Sir_bobby88 (8231)
• Singapore
25 Jul 09
Well what can we do , we can't really educate the parents already . They had their mindset and thinking without hrash lesson they will never learn
@roniroxas (10560)
• Philippines
25 Jul 09
do you know what else is more rude in this kinds of situation? if you say something to that parent that she needs to stop talking and take care of her children you will get a fight and a nag from this kinds of people. i know someone who is like that. she dress up well and looks clean and pretty but her kids looks like trash when they go out. she buys what she needs and only buys the children if the toys are cheap. she loves her self first but if you say something about her stlye towards parenting you will sure get a fight. she will say that she loves her children so so so much and she wants the best for them blah blah blah.
@LetranKnight25 (33121)
• Philippines
25 Jul 09
that's really embarrassing, the child would have been kidnap for sure. i know it's insane to say this, but i would have use a large scissor and cut the crap of that phone line. what if some one's stalking her children and after she got that chit chat, the little ones are gone...i believe that might happens if she continues to be an idiot. 
@vzerocool (76)
• Philippines
25 Jul 09
Its hard to believe that there are parents like this.But its true.Im also a parent.But i see to it that in everything my priority in life is my family,my kids.They are the reasons why i wake up in the morning and face the day with a smile...
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
25 Jul 09
megumiart,
The sad part of this story is yet to come when the kid will turn out to be like his mother here and the mother will be crying hoarse blaming the system for her son's becoming. So much about bad workmen blaming their tools.
I think above the temporary annoyance, I believe we just have another sad episode playing and waiting to blow right onto our face if we are going to be ignorant with our parenthood. Children emulate their parents and this mother sure did not understand this.
Sometimes I just wonder why they would want to have children in the first place or have they ever considered on how to be a good parent. I understand parenting is not an easy task and the demands and sacrifices that goes along with it. But I am just speechless when these incidents happen and plays out in front of my eyes.
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn? @underdogtoo (9579)
• Philippines
25 Jul 09
I have too many problems of my own and I don't particularly care about other people. This makes me tolerate other people's lack of parenting skills. If it were up to me then that would mean I would have no peace in my life because there are so many people who should not be having any children at all.
1 person likes this
@NessaFilth (341)
• United States
24 Jul 09
I know exactly what you mean! I work selling phones. A lot of times I get customers in the store that completely ignore their kids while they are pulling on and smacking the display phones. It is very frustrating. There are also the parents i REALLY dont like that cuss and hit their kids in the store. It's so tacky and rude, not to mention horrible to the kids! If it gets really bad, though, I calmly and politely let them know that if they cannot keep their children under control, that i will have to ask them to leave.
1 person likes this
@macdingolinger (10386)
• United States
24 Jul 09
I don't know if there is anything that is socially acceptable that can be done about it! There are some things I would like to do... like explain some things to her. But it's not like she would listen anyway! Then you never know how she was raised. She may be doing very well compared to her parent's skills!
1 person likes this
@juliesclicks (109)
• United States
24 Jul 09
I am older than most of you, and I cannot stand to be anywhere (store, office, etc) when parents do not watch their kids. My daughter is outspoken, and the last time we were in WalMart together, there was a woman in line who let her kid run wild. Anyhow, my daughter is not afraid to speak out, so she came right out and told the woman to watch her kid because it was annoying everyone in line. The cashier and a couple people in line thanked my daughter for speaking out. I guess that is what we need to do, speak out and tell them. Because otherwise they act like they do not know their kids are annoying others around them. Maybe if the parents are embarrassed in public like that then they will discipline their children. It can be done in a polite manner. But if we do not speak out, then we are enabling them to ignore what their kids are doing.
1 person likes this
@happyness3 (394)
• United States
24 Jul 09
I so agree. I can't stand the people that don't pay attention to their kids. And since there were people like that when I was a kid, it is something that just gets passed down. I was at a video store the other day, and there were these three kids running around and bumping into people. They had like a hide and go seek/tag thing going on, and I don't even know who the parents were, because when I left, they were still running around. People were so irritated. My kids on the other hand stood beside me, and were quiet. I always feel a little bad at the wistful looks they send the kids that are obviously having so much fun, but I would not be happy if my kids behaved like that.
