When Her Daughter's A Teen, Mom Will Wonder...
By DW Davis
@DWDavis (25797)
United States
March 20, 2016 7:08pm CST
K and I had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant on Saturday. The place was very busy and we were seated at a booth next to a mom with two young girls. One looked to be about second grade, the other probably kindergarten. Both young girls were very well behaved throughout lunch, even though their mother spend most of the time on her cell phone. It was when they got up to leave that I realized who was really in charge at that table.
The mom had asked the girls if they wanted their drinks in to-go cups and both had said they did. The waitress brought to-go cups for the three of them and they settled their bill. As they started to walk away, neither girl picked up their to-go cup. The mom asked them if they were going to carry them or if they were going to make her do all the work. They told her to carry them.
This woman then had to juggle three to-go cups, a left-over box, her purse, and keep up with the two girls. I silently wished her luck.
When they were gone, I told K that when those girls were older and wouldn't pick up after themselves or get their work done, the mom was going to wonder why and would never realize it was because of little things like letting them get away with not carrying their own drinks when they were little.
Do you agree that letting young kids shirk simple tasks like carrying their own drinks, picking up after themselves, and putting their toys away leads to having teenagers who won't do what their told, won't take any responsibility for themselves, and expect everything to be done for them?
9 people like this
11 responses
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
21 Mar 16
Indeed I do DW. I can never understand the logic of not letting them do for themselves.
One has to know how to survive in this world among other things, such as common courtesy not to lumber someone else with your work.
2 people like this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
21 Mar 16
@DWDavis DW, my son, if nothing else, knows how to survive on his own. I am so grateful for it, but it is in the raising. One cannot possibly expect kids to survive right as adults if they are constantly catered to. It is not good for mentality either.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
21 Mar 16
@TiarasOceanView One of our major jobs as parents is to prepare out kids to live on their own. My wife and I tried to make sure both our boys could do that.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153529)
• India
21 Mar 16
As grown ups they will have no choice but to fend for themselves as such is the scene these days with none to molly coddle anyone.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (153529)
• India
22 Mar 16
@DWDavis i was a spoilt brat but soon learnt to fend for myself (lol)
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
22 Mar 16
I've seen so many young people enter the workforce believing everything and everyone should adjust to make it easier for them and they get frustrated when they find out they have to do the adjusting. Many times they just up and quit rather than learn how to work withing the parameters expected of them.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
21 Mar 16
I do agree. That parent was far too indulgent. I was too, as a single parent of a daughter who had some health problems, but she grew into a very independent young woman.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
21 Mar 16
@DWDavis Yes, it sounds like that for sure.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43650)
• Denver, Colorado
21 Mar 16
I totally agree with you. Personally, if it were me, they'd carry their own cups. Then again, I've never had kids, so I'm not exactly an expert on the subject.
1 person likes this
@yukimori (10192)
• United States
21 Mar 16
She really should be giving the kids the option of carrying the drinks themselves, or leaving them behind. The trick is all in the phrasing... and limiting the options they have to things that are acceptable to you while making them think they have a real say in what happens. 
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (54720)
• United States
21 Mar 16
They really were old enough to carry their own drinks.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
21 Mar 16
Well considering my brother and I baked a cake for our mother on her birthday when we were 5 and 3 respectively, I'd say we were more than capable to do our own tasks. That and when I was 8 I was force to fight for my life on the bottom of that flooded stream (raging like a river), something adults would have trouble doing in the same position, I'd say these young girls lack dynamics and hardships in their lives.
