what will you say to people who give you unsolicited advise?
By joshdale08
@joshdale08 (2320)
Philippines
January 28, 2007 8:23pm CST
once when i was in the mall with my three kids, my 2 boys started playing "catch me if you can". that was maybe out of boredom, you know how it is with boys in the mall. i let them be, after all, w were in the kids section and there was nothing there to break. a lady approached me and proceeded to tell me what todo with "rowdy" boys like mine. that they should be taught to behave in public and respect other people's space. honestly, i did not understand her. i looked over to where my boys were and from my point of view, they were not doing anybody any harm. they were just being boys, horsing around, having fun. they were not even bumping into anybody at all. besides, there were other kids there who were playing with them. well, she must have thought all those kids were mine. but i just got so irritated that i called my boys over and we went straight home. i was supposed to buy them underwears for their uniform, but we didn't get to buy them at all.
1 person likes this
3 responses
@wrdsofwisdm (1069)
• United States
29 Jan 07
I think I would have told her that she is entitled to her opinion, when asked for one. If the store manager didn't say anything to you, she should have kept quiet.
@ShadowWalker (969)
• United States
29 Jan 07
I can see both her and your point of view. When I was a kid we would never have thought to play games in any store. It just wasn't done. That is probably where her point of view is coming from. To this day if a child is with me I don't allow them to play in stores. Was she wrong for how she handled the situation? I say yes. She should have gone to the manager if she had a problem with what your children were doing. If I'd been you I would have finished my shopping and then gone home.
@joshdale08 (2320)
• Philippines
29 Jan 07
it unnerved me so much that i just had to get home fast. we didn't get the shopping done at all. now, i talk o my kids before we go to the mall and i remind hem of what happened "last time". it pains me to curtail their naturel gregariousness but it has to be done.
1 person likes this
@kalpan_vasa (324)
• India
29 Jan 07
I really feel bad about you. I mean, if such things happen to me, I would have scold that lady out there only. I mean who the hell is she to talk with me like this. She said something about teaching how to respect other's space, I think she needs to learn this first. How could she just approches to someone stranger and starts talking like that.
As you said, your kids were just playing and being kids, so there is nothing wrong in that. If someone has complained about your kids, then it could be a different matter but here, let me tell you, she must be having lot of problems and frustration at her home back. I think she was totally disturbed person.
You don't take it seriously, there are lot of people in this world who just want to create disturbance in other's life. You don't need to get so much worried about that. Just go on...
@joshdale08 (2320)
• Philippines
29 Jan 07
thanks so much! i only hope these people think and act like you do. and i just wished her well afterwards. you could be right. maybe, she was having her own problems at home and, unfortunately, she took it out on me. sigh!
1 person likes this
@hellboi (661)
• Philippines
29 Jan 07
what i would have done is to tell her politely possible that she is in some way right but you prefer your boys to be boys and as long as they are not breaking anything then they are just fine. then you excuse yourself and proceed with buying the stuffs you want and just ignore the lady.
