Lack Of Discipline
By Chevee
@Chevee (5905)
United States
October 10, 2008 7:35am CST
I was at the store yesterday, and a family with 4 little children all under the age of 6 was there shopping. The littlest one picked up a pack of candy and ask me to open it, I told him I couldn't open it for him he said my mommy will open it. So he gave it to his mother and ask her to open it she told him she would have to pay for it first. These kids were running loose all over the store the adults which were two females didn't act like they were interested in what or where these kids were. The adults didn't seem to friendly. The kids were trying to open packages bothering everything and the adults never tried to stop them. This same little boy come up to the register and started to open another pack of candy, I looked at him and got as far as don't-----then I stopped. I was going to tell him not to open the candy. But one of the adults was right there beside me and didn't say anything. I just paid for my purchase shook my head and walked out the door.
What would you have done?
Would have told the child to not open the candy?
(Remember I said the adults didn't look or act very friendly)
1 person likes this
4 responses
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
10 Oct 08
This is a tossup - it's hard to know what to do when faced with unfriendly (or downright intimidating) adults whose kids are acting up badly. There are times when my daughter is simply touching things and I get irritated but have had enough so I don't say anything, but she responds to being ignored.
To add another small story to this one, I was in a grocery store parking lot one time and a lady in scrubs came out with two small kids in a cart. One of them started asking her for something and she came UNGLUED. Now I am all for people demonstrating their own right to parent how they wish but some things belong in private. She started screaming at the kids and one of them started to cry and I did not say anything even though I was only 10 feet away because I didn't want her screaming at ME. I HAVE warned kids not to stand up in a cart, run away from their mommy, etc etc but it's just so dependent on the situation and how comfortable you feel.
I myself have had to tell my daughter that she can't open things before I pay for them! I have friends who let their kids open things in the store and I'm just not sure I agree with it. Of course my daughter peeled and ate a banana when she was 2 and I didn't catch her until she was waving the peel at me because I had been picking out other produce ... 
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
11 Oct 08
Not to argue or anything here... but you don't know what the woman and children had been through before they arrived at the store. Perhaps that child had been acting up already and mom was at the end of her rope, and that's why she became unglued. I often get that way, where my kids have just been misbehaving already, and then they do one tiny thing that becomes the straw that broke the camels back, and people look at me like I'm nuts. You just really have no idea what the mom has already had to deal with.
@dreamhealer (812)
•
11 Oct 08
You were put in a tricky situation. Contrary to one of the other responses to your discussion, I feel we do have a responsibility to do something if we can (though it can be a fine judgement). If these kids are picking things up, and opening them, which haven't been paid for... then it is plain, that they shouldn't be doing this.
In this place, I think you probably had all sorts of feelings. The parents don't sound very responsible, having so many children of the same age, to start with. No wonder they're having problems disciplining them. If the children's ages were more spread out, then the older ones could help with the younger ones.
To be honest, not knowing the full details, I'm not sure what I would have done in your situation, as the two adults in charge of the kids sound quite intimidating. I do feel like it would be good if I could respond in some way though.
@jarael (665)
•
10 Oct 08
to be honest i would tell him to ask his parents?
also i learned when my two were small, u cant do nothing right when out and ur kids play up.
i found that if i told them off i was alsways made out to be too strict on the little darlings, and if i didnt tell them off i had no control of my kids and didnt know how to dicipline them.
so now i act the same wether im out or in, i can often be heard quoting "just cus u are at the shops/park/club, does not mean u cant be told off u know!" lol
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
11 Oct 08
It's really not our place to try to discipline other people's kids. It's a shame the parents or guardians or whatever they were didn't discipline the kids themselves... but I think you did the right thing by ignoring it. Unfortunatly that's just one of the things we have to deal with in today's society. It frustrates me as well.
