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Toddlers: 24 Months+
Bad Parenting Siting (long)
I meant to post this yesterday, but I forgot.
Yesterday MIL watched B in the afternoon, so I went to B&N to browse and get B a few books. They have a train table set up in a little alcove in the kids' section, with a bunch of toys and books for little kids to play with. As I was walking by to get to the book shelves in the corner just past the alcove I noticed a little girl - no older than 2.5 - playing with the trains, no parent in site. I kinda looked around, and noticed two women sitting at a table in the middle of the kids' section (about 50 feet from the little girl, and not directly in line of sight) chatting away and drinking coffee. I figured one of them was the mother and shrugged it off as lazy parenting. Went about my business of picking out books. I was standing at a rack to the side of the little girl, so I couldn't see her but was close enough to overhear anything going on in that section.
A few minutes after I got to where I was standing an employee walks by and damn near has a heart attack and runs toward the little girl going "no sweetie, we don't climb on the shelves". Apparently the little girl had decided the book shelves were a jungle gym. Then the employee starts telling her she can't play with stuff in packaging, etc. I could tell the woman was pissed, but trying to be calm since it was a little kid who didn't know any better.
Right about then the mother saunters up, and the employee calmly (though obviously livid) starts telling her the little girl needs to be supervised, B&N is not a toy store, and that the little girl opened a lot of merchandise that was not there to be played with, etc. The woman starts screaming at the little girl, telling her to pick up all the stuff she pulled down, and that she should know better.
I was pissed. I just walked off, because I knew if I said anything it would get ugly. The woman was blatantly ignoring her very small child, and obviously the kid had no idea what was off-limits. When I glanced at the area while walking by, it looked like a bomb had gone off. Books and toys everywhere, trains strewn about, complete and utter chaos. All I could think was if that employee hadn't come by then, and the little girl had managed to not kill herself, that mother would have just left the place looking like a disaster area.
Then the woman got mad because her daughter was crying. Go figure, lady.
Contemplating the snow.
Mes Petit Choux
I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. ~ Alice
Mes Petit Choux
I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. ~ Alice
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Bad Parenting Siting (long)
This woman sounds like a gem. It certainly sucks that she didn't take any responsibility for her kid acting out at the B & N.
However, how close do all of you stand to your kids in public places? DD is reasonably well-behaved and I am about 98% sure she wouldn't make the mess you just described. I often go to places like that and just chill out off to the side looking at books for myself or chatting with a friend if we both brought our kids to the store. I don't consider it "lazy parenting" (as you say in the line about the women having coffee).
Oh, I don't think sitting down and having coffee is lazy, I think being out of sight of your toddler and obviously not paying her any mind is lazy. I too let B play with the trains and stuff while I enjoy a latte, but I'm sitting or standing nearby so that if he does start climbing or messing with unopened toys I can stop him immediately. I don't treat a bookstore like a daycare center, and I think anyone who does is a crappy parent.
Mes Petit Choux
I can't go back to yesterday - because I was a different person then. ~ Alice
Yep - I've witnessed this too. However it wasn't in a B&N, it was in a playground and the mothers' DS fell 8ft from a playground jungle gym.
True Story.
The kid ended up fine (as far as I know), but the mother shrugged it off as "Meh, kids..." and went back to chatting - didn't check her DS for any bumps/bruises. I think my heart dropped that day, they aren't supposed to play on gyms like that (for ages 5-12yo only) her son was 2.
::rolling eyes::
I let DS1 play on the playground by himself. I'm always on the bench nearby keeping an eye on him, but I definitely am not always standing right there to keep him from falling. Guess I'm a bad parent... yikes!
Maybe I wasn't clear with my story...
The ones IMHO that toddlers shouldn't be on are the 8-10ft. high jungle gyms. The age limits are set in place for their own safety.
I don't mind if parents sit on a bench and keep an eye on their children from afar, but for DS, believe me I'm siting too at familiar playground locations.
I've seen this at the playground as well. I was there during the morning once and a group of moms where all standing together chatting. They let the kids play. Thats fine except one of those kids was maybe 12 months old. Just crawling & cruising, not able to walk. The mom was on the other side of the playground not paying attention when her little guy had crawled under a tree & face planted himself right into the dirt. I ran over and picked him up. Didn't know who the mom was so I just yelled "anyone here this little guys mom?" She came over annoyed & yanked him out of my arms. Didn't say word one to me and just walked back over to the other women & continued talking.
Same trip to that play ground I noticed moms sitting on benches while their kids played. Fine right? Not when they are sitting there txting the entire time. I get not interacting w/ your kid every second of the day but come on. It's a play ground keep an eye on your child. I stand off to the side & let DD run around but my attention is always on her & I'm always with in reach of her if she needs me. I don't get the mentality of just ignore your kids or not have them w/in eyesight at all times when you are with them in public. The world is an ugly place and I'm too paranoid to not pay attention to her.