When Your Children Were Five Year Old...
@danishcanadian (28955)
Canada
November 28, 2009 11:07pm CST
...or younger, did they know enough to stay out of the way of pedestrians on the sidewalk?
The bus stop is about 30 feet outside of my door. To the right of my building outlining the parking lot next door is a little hill covered in "river rock." People like to sit there. It's only about 6 feet long, and it's at a 30 degree angle. The kids like to "mountain climb" on it. LOL
Anyway, I was walking out of my building, and a little girl came flying down the rock hill and almost landed on my feet. She nearly hit me. INSTINCTIVELY AND FIRMLY I exclaimed "watch it! I'm blind!" I did not yell, I simply exclaimed "watch it! I'm blind!"
Well the mother said "I know you're blind, but you don't talk to a five year old that way."
I responded that when I was 5 years old, I knew better, and that if her daughter did not know better, she should have held her by the hand, or stuck closer to her, or something.
The mother threatened to call the cops on me for harassing children.
HA!! Not if i call them first. Before she could finish that sentence I had my cellphone in my hand, and I was dialing.
Knowing she'd never win she grabbed her kid, and hightailed it out of there. I described her to the cops (I can see a very little bit close up, and like I said, they were close enough that I could see them, the girl's bright jacket, the mother's hair, etc.
I also asked the cops if they still did safety lessons in schools. They said they did. I asked if they might speak with one of their school liasons, and see if they could mention sidewalk safety, and they said they would. I am very pleased with myself. They also informed me that the mother did NOT call (I had called her bluff!) and that they'd watch out for future activity there.
So tell me. Should a five-year-old know enough to stay out of the way of adults on a sidewalk, or atleast not to do silly things like jumping out infront of people?
And if a 5 year old is not or should not be that responsible at that age, should the parents not be in better control of their children?
How about your children? Did they, do they, will they know better, at the age of 5 or younger, not to do troublesome things like that?
1 person likes this
9 responses
@moonchild1au (6237)
• Australia
29 Nov 09
I can't remember what I was like at that age as it was almost 27 years ago lol...I can completely understand where you are coming from as I think I've mentioned to you in other discussions that one of my really good friends has about the same level of sight as you (she lost hers through diabetes type 1)...
Anyway, my daughter is 2.5 years old (3 at the end of April) & I am already teaching her to be careful of other people in public & she's normally fairly good...I think a 5 year old definitely should know better than that one who could've knocked you over.
2 people like this
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
29 Nov 09
Right on!! We knew darn well, by that age, and Mom backed it up with logic and reason. We knew then, the same as pedestrians know not to walk down the middle of a busy highway.
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
29 Nov 09
I hate to say it, but "kids will be kids" and sometimes things like that do happen with 5 year olds. There are so many factors that play into why she was behaving as she was. As a teacher of older children for 30 years, a mother of 4 grown children and a grandmother of 12, I could go on and on about many reasons why the child was okay in the way she was on the sidewalk, but also that she might have been out of control. It all depends on the situation. Sometimes the only way that some 5 year olds move is at top speed. Sometimes when a child is excited that is their way of showing it. It might be that she did not see you as she was hurrying and in her "own little world", as they say. She and mom might have been playing some type of game to get their destination more quickly so she was not poking along, as 5 years can also do................and I could go on. For safety reasons, most of the time it makes more sense for a child to be under better control so that he or she is not injured, or in your case, does not injure someone else. My own sure weren't angels and I would say there were times when they were in someone's way, but they were always told to apologize if they were. Personally, I can't see any reason for the police to be involved in any way.
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
29 Nov 09
Kids will be kids... that's why my reaction was as "controlled" as it was. I could have said a lot more than "watch it, I'm blind!" but not reacting at all would not have fit the fact that she scared the $h!t out of me with her actions.
As for calling the police the ONLY reason why I did it was because the mother threatened to, and I thought I'd better get in before she did. Had there been no threat, I would not have called. As for the police reaction themselves, they totally understood why I called, because I told them about her threat to do so, and they too agreed that it was a good thing I called before she over-reacted.
If I am not that understanding of "kids will be kids" it's because of the way my parents raised me. I complain about them, but in a situation like yesterday, I bless them. And don't forget my husband has 10 kids, and none of those 10 kids would have done something like that. As for playing a game to get there faster, I've done that with Mom when I was little, but it never involved anything dangerous. We also had "safe rules" that we'd follow if there was someone else on the sidewalk. I'm pretty tall, and not hard to miss.
When I make it a point to look for people on the sidewalk with my bad vision, I just can't comprehend how others with normal vision "can't see me!!!" I remember 5-years-old like it was yesterday.
@BarBaraPrz (47713)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
29 Nov 09
Yes, yes, and yes. (I don't have kids, but if I did they would know better.)
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
29 Nov 09
yes,they should know better..but it's debateable whether they absorb it.
the mother should certainly know better than allow her child to go running around like a twit especially if she already knows you have impared vision.
1 person likes this
@WOL330 (13)
• United States
29 Nov 09
well I think jumping out in front of anybody at any age is disrespectful and I taught my children and to stay by me when we were out and to stay out of people's way. The rules for kids now slightly different nobody up cares what their kids do .
1 person likes this
@vathsala30 (3732)
• India
2 Dec 09
Hi
When my children were 5 years old, i will hold their hand, while going out and keep explaining them everything dos and donts. So I did not face any such problems. Once taught, next time they will follow.
@Mirita (2668)
• United States
29 Nov 09
No, thank God my boys were very well behaved when they were 5 years of age
,and they are now both college boys ,but they understand the definition of
courtesy. I'm sorry to say this ,but usually children are a
reflection of their parents. Sorry that you had to have such an incident
like that with such a rude lady.
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
30 Nov 09
When my kids were younger like that, I would make sure that they stayed out of other people's way. I didn't want them to get hurt or hurt anyone else. I always thought that it was just plain old common sense.
I'm glad you called her bluff, maybe that mother won't be so bold as to tell someone that they're harassing children and maybe she'll start watching her daughter a little closer. Probably wishful thinking, though...
@gitfiddleplayer (10362)
• United States
30 Nov 09
Sometimes kids get focused on playing and they don't think about stuff like that. My kids sometimes get in an adults way and I'll tell them to keep the path clear. If they don't attend to my request I'll grab them by the nape and let them know its rude to trip people up when they are trying to get somewhere. It usually takes just once for a kid to know what you are talking about.
