Uncontrolled children in public

Now before I start lets just say that I know I am going to get accused of being a miserable old sod, but I think that this just needs to be said.

I get sick to the back teeth of people saying "He/She's only a kid you know" (normally accompanied by a scornful look). Yes you are right, they are, and as such they should learn consideration for others and respect for those who know better.

Most weekly visits to the supermarket are now just as much about avoiding the sliding child that whizzes past the end of an aisle just as you emerge. Or even the whinging brat hanging of the side of the trolley until they have blocked the whole aisle, as it is about buying provisions for the family.

On a recent visit to a well known supermarket "pats back pocket" I was treated to the unenviable pleasure of synchronising my route with the children of Satan. I suggested to their dim looking mother that she leave them at the other end of the supermarket near the swings and roundabout. "Oh, I didn't know they had them" was the response. "They don’t" I said "that's because it's a supermarket and not a bleeding playground".

I felt bad for being rude but enough is sometimes far more than enough! A visit to a museum recently was equally difficult. Whilst reading a very interesting exhibit text a loud and brash child decided that the post upon which it was placed resembled a set of monkey bars. I asked the child to move as I was reading (politely I should add) to which the father said, "He’s only playing".

The simmering started and was shortly followed by, " I understand that but I've paid good money to get in here as well and I would like to be able to enjoy my visit too, so please keep him under control". A reasonable statement you might think. Apparently not! I was reported to the staff who asked me to leave as I was upsetting other visitors.

Now, I'm not against children enjoying themselves. I love to see them having fun. I just think that they should be controlled more by their parent/s so as not to upset or annoy others. Am I a miserable old sod or do others of you feel the same?

By: Old Git

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"The French mothers make their children say “please” and “thank you” and have no trouble in saying “no”.............until the American obsession of indulging a child’s every whim spread to Britain.”

From a daily newspaper.

According to the Loony-Left pressure groups, a large number of children in the UK are starving, or living in poverty; don't make me laugh.

Nothing but noisy spoilt brats everywhere, in Britain.
“Gimee ,Gimme ,Gimme is their call.

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Stalag 14 - 20-Jan-12 13:41

YOU were the one asked to leave the museum? are you kidding me? That is atrocious!!! Didn't you explain the situation? What a complete joke. I am so sick of brats and their parents who think their kids can behave in whatever manner they choose. These are the kind of parents who shouldn't even be pro-creating.

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Cat - 19-Jan-12 23:30

old git

SUE the museum!!! don't be scared, do it!!

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hazza - 30-Sep-11 21:22

the other day some silly lads were saying 'hello' to me even though i didn't know them. i don't know why, but surprise surprise the mum did nothing, still chatting to the woman next to her. i heard them laughing. Little s****.

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hazza - 4-Sep-11 16:51

Don't tar us all

If that little b****** does it again, smack the hell out of him until he cries

-2

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hazza - 1-Jun-11 17:47

Martina I disagree, my mother beat me black and blue if I so much as looked in the wrong direction, from the age of 3 and upwards I took a daily beating- sometimes twice a day! I was a nightmare growing up, had no friends in school, wouldnt socialise out of school. The more smacks I took, the angrier I got and the more I played up! I despise my mother now, she apologises on a daily basis but its not enough! Im glad parents cant smack their kids as I dont see how it works! Whats wrong with taking their favourate toy and giving it back when they deserve it? Works for mine.

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Xhunks - 25-Apr-11 09:31

There's nothing wrong with spanking children if they deserve it. The bottom line is if you play with fire you get burnt, that's what discipline and spanking teaches children. Not hitting someone else because if they do that, they will again get disciplined. Again it is ok for a parent discipline their child within reason. I don't think marks should be put on a child but spanked on a bottom or over a hand there's nothing wrong with it and the child knows very well why it is being punished. It didn't do me any harm not as much as ignorance..at least I knew my parents cared. When you ignore your child that is a lot worse than inforcing discipline. It has nothing to do with violence...

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martina - 5-Apr-11 14:00

Kids should be controlled. And I'm a parent.

I'm happy to report that my child is well behaved and is being brought up correctly. Yet in the library the other day another (older male) child (with parent present) ran up to mine and hit her on the head for no apparent reason. And suprise suprise the mother did/said nothing.

-1

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Don't tar us all - 7-Feb-11 14:39

Dear Old Git:

That father wasn't taking responsibility for his son's not such great behavior and on top of that the father had the nerve to report you to the staff. As far as I'm concerned you should file a complaint against the staff by reporting them to their boss(es) all because I feel the staff was unfair in kicking you out of the museum.

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ACM - 7-Feb-11 13:02

You sure have a lot of guts to stand up to these parents. I think, in any case, if a child is misbehaving and the parents are clearly not doing anything about it, that you should just come out with it and state your opinion. Why should we have to put up with children which are not our own? Some of us don't even have children yet, and just observing how badly behaved the majority of people's kids are in public places these days is really off-putting.

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Sarah - 30-Nov-10 23:41

Chlidren need to be taught from an early age what is right & what is wrong.In my day children were seen & not heard.Simply because they knew that if they misbehaved then they would get a sound thrashing.I pride myself in taking the same attitude towards my own children.I beat them from an early age until they learned to respect their elders.Brats are brats however you perceive them to be.Smack them hard where it really hurts.

-3

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Hazel - 3-Nov-10 18:00

What is it with people who keep on suggesting we BEAT children? Is society not violent enough? It is possible to discipline children without a resort to violence which teaches them only that beating someone (usually smaller than you) is ok if you want your own way.

I also notice that many of these people only want the children of others beaten - not their own little cherubs.

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ajp - 31-Oct-10 12:51

Old Git, here is how to deal with someone who says: "He's only a kid, y'know." Say: "Yes, he is, and you're not much better than TRAILER TRASH to not make the effort to teach him any more manners than that."

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Granny G - 5-Oct-10 13:23

Spare the rod and spoil the child.Give these brats a dose of good old fashioned discipline.What they need is a damn good hiding.Bring back the birch and make them scream till it hurts.Better still,shove a Big Mac down their throats and tape them up.Problem solved.

-1

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Sandra - 1-Oct-10 23:17

children shoould be taught there is a time and a place to play and time and place to behave.

-6

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concerned parent - 19-Aug-10 22:38

No, you were being reasonable. People today seem to think everyone should enjoy being around children and being tolerant of whatever they do. That is why so many kids are out of control today, because they are not properly punished or supervised.

"He's only playing." To that I would have reported him for allowing his child to treat the museum as if it was his own house. People are too lenient on children nowadays. "He's just a kid." Exactly, that means you have teach him how to behave appropriately when in public.

-4

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Kimmi - 13-Jul-10 20:51

Dear Old Git....no, you sound a reasonable person, my wife and I feel that many young parents of today are very selfish not to think of other people who are upset by their child's shrieking! the irony of it is animals behave much better but they ban them in shops and eating places, the parent is always to blame the child is only as good or bad as their parents want them to be, shopping in a supermarket are a nightmare because of them !

Carry on objecting .........good luck dear Old Git.

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Reasonable man - 12-Jul-10 15:37

sunday 13/6/2010 there was four children out playing age 4 - 7, my husband whent for his sunday paper, on return back he saw the children pushing a childs plasic car down the road then it whent right into my new car leaving scraches down one side and on the bumper I aproched the familey's thay have just put there head in the sand hoping it will go away, it is now going to cost me over £100 +, if thay dont whant childre under ther feet Y have childre, there shoud be a law as children age from 0 - 15 shoud be in control and pay up for any damage thay couse. exscuse my spelling its rubbish

-2

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poly - 9-Jul-10 09:20

Not all parents are bad and some kids are well behaved but kids do have their moments! Im a bus driver so I see a range of different children from little brats to well behaved polite children. I have to say it is usually the way the parents are with them. For example, a baby of about 7 months was throwing a tantrum on my bus because he was bored and all his mother could do was text her mate and tell her child to shut up! That is certainly not the way to control the behaviour and will simply make matters worse. On another note you cant always judge a parent straight away. I have a disabled child who doesnt look it from the outside. She has Epilepsy and this has caused her to regress back so she looks like a 6 year old but acts like a 3 year old. Most people would tut when they see her and think bad on me that she is acting like a spoiled brat but she is simply doing what any 3 year old would do!

-5

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dont slate us all - 19-Jun-10 10:10

I'm doing some research for a book on child behaviour and parenting responsibility. Could anyone offer specific examples of what they consider to be essential social rules children should learn from their parents?

-9

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tkaa - 16-Jun-10 09:31

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