Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Pet Peeve: Parents who let their kids run wild in public

Yesterday I went to get my car washed at the dealership and witnessed the most ridiculous parenting I have ever seen. I understand that kids are kids, and I try to give parents the benefit of the doubt, but give me your opinion parents, because I think this goes beyond "She doesn't understand because she doesn't have kids."

Mom walks in with her two kids - probably 4 and 6 years old. The kids immediately proceed to begin playing tag...indoors....in a busy waiting room. Complete with yelling "Base!! Base!! This is base! You can't tag me here!!" Every now and then, the mom would say "Shhh" which would last about 1.2 secs before they were yelling again. And running, full speed throughout the waiting room which is also the Lexus dealership showroom.

So right in between the waiting area and where you pick up your car, they always have a Lexus Preowned Vehicle on display...car of the month or whatever. This time is was an RX (the small SUV). The kids run and get inside of it (at which point normal parents would have been up and over there in a second getting them out, but not this mom!). You see them climbing over the seats, jumping around, hear them yelling, opening and slamming the doors several times....mom still just sits like nothing is going on. Finally the service manager comes over and says "Hey guys, you really need to get out of this car." They say okay, and on the way out, one decides it would be fun to honk the horn twice. SUV car horn, honked indoors....ridiculously loud! NOW super-mom decides to come over and I hear her saying "which one of you honked the horn. I need to know, who honked it?" That's the only thing she's upset about??? Not that her kids have been disturbing every person in a busy waiting room and possible causing damage to a very expensive car? And here's a thought: maybe if they weren't playing tag in the lobby, they wouldn't have had the CHANCE to honk the horn!

Am I the only one out there who thinks this goes beyond the reasonable limits for children in public places? Okay, I know I'm not the only one because the other 15 people that were waiting were all as shocked as I was, but am I the only one in the blogosphere?

6 comments:

Kristen Ballard said...

I just love your little graphics- they always make me smile!!
OK, that sounds totally ridiculous. I do not have perfect kids, and I am sure I have had people give me the eye before, but I never let them just run around. It's hard in open areas, to MAKE them stay by you, and that is why I miss the stroller days. I think some people just don't care. It's sad, really.

Daniel & Zoe's Mommy said...

sometimes it's just easier to do nothing than to do anything.

that's sad....I try so hard to set good parenting examples, because I know people who aren't parents are always watching....

I don't think there's anything worse than the blase parenting....ugh!

holly said...

Hate. This. So. Much.

But then, all it takes is one trip to Target for me to turn into the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang so you know...I'm maybe not the best judge.

Unknown said...

You would have LOVED the kid I ran into at Babies R Us recently. He cut in front of me and when his mom asked him if he had cut...his AWESOME response was "Yeah...SO?" This kid was MAYBE 9. She still let him by his item and did NOTHING to repremand him except saying, "You know thats not nice."
Wow.

stacey4 said...

I'm sorry you didn't recognize me. HA!!!!! Really I'm physco mom and try not to go to public places with the mass of children I have sprung. I hate to say it...but rich moms at the lexus dealership are likely worse at discipline...b/c their kids get whatever they want.

Daniel & Zoe's Mommy said...

amen stacey!!!!