It never fails. At the park, playground, play place, restaurant, or campground, there is always that ONE kid who is screaming their head off, acting like a complete brat. This is the kid who causes problems with the other kids, picks fights, and is the only one allowed to take their milkshake into the secret tunnel at McDonald’s. (And you know what ends up happening with that.) Meanwhile, this kid’s parents are off in a corner (or nowhere to be seen), completely preoccupied with something (anything) else besides their own child, and totally oblivious to what’s going on around them. Can they not hear their child screaming? Do they not hear the other kids crying and pointing their fingers at this kid because he just hit yours in the face? Are they somehow immune to the looks from the 10 other families whose kids are behaving normally at the restaurant while theirs is screaming and throwing forks at the waiter?
Parents, It’s Time to Step Up
The worst part is that when you’re faced with this child and their parents, it’s not as easy as walking up to them and saying, “Please control your child, ma’am! They are wreaking havoc.” Doing so could cause a ruckus, or you might even risk getting punched in the face. After all, if the kid is such a heathen, it only stands to reason that they are learning this disruptive behavior from somewhere, right? So most parents do nothing but pick up their child and leave the vicinity, lest they risk causing a scene.
Even restaurant managers today are hesitant to ask a family to leave, regardless of the fact that their child is ruining the evening for dozens of other families. Family media has gone wild lately with complaints about restaurants closing their doors to kids under a certain age for this very reason. So because a few parents are unable to control their children in public, the many parents who do are forced to suffer as well.
We can throw a drunk out of a bar, but not a child out of a playground or restaurant. We can dismiss a coach from a softball game for arguing with a referee, but cannot have a child removed from a theater because they won’t shut up during the movie.
The truth is, the responsibility for the child’s behavior certainly rests on the parents’ shoulders. As a parent, you know there is always (and we mean ALWAYS) the inherent risk that today will be the day your child has a meltdown at the playground or restaurant. But responsible parents are prepared to remove their child from the situation when necessary. Good parents don’t bring a sleeping toddler to a 10 p.m. movie showtime. Good parents realize that when their child starts pushing other kids down the slide or bullying others at the indoor playground, it’s time for THEM to leave. And good parents know that this behavior is happening because they are paying attention to their child. Sadly, many parents bring their kids into situations at inappropriate times, which sets the kid up to fail. And then, when the kid acts out or becomes indecently behaved, the parents become inflamed at the child—and at the other parents who are in disgust. Seriously!
Parents need to be in control of their children when they are out in public. That is the bottom line. If your kid, no matter how well-behaved they are most of the time, becomes a problem, it is up to you as a responsible parent to remove your child from the situation. Other people should not have to leave because of you and your child. It is YOUR responsibility to discipline your child. If you don’t want other parents to criticize you or say something to you, you best get your nose out of your book or smartphone and take matters into your own hands. Restaurants, playgrounds, sporting events, movie theaters, and other kids’ venues shouldn’t have to have rules about appropriate behavior for small children, because the parents should be the ones enforcing them. And parents must set an example that with access to public hotspots and venues comes a certain amount of expected acceptable behavior and responsibility for a child.
Look, no child is flawless. Your child isn’t a screaming heathen simply because they threw a fit on the playground or hit a waiter in the back with a tater tot. The other parents aren’t quickly judging you because your child has turned into Willie Whines-a-lot. They too know the feeling—every kid has good days and bad days. Yet the easiest way to anger other parents is to sit idly by and do nothing to handle the situation. If you would prefer sympathy rather than chastisement from the general public, you have to show that you are proactively trying to correct the situation in some way, shape, or form. Keeping your eyes down and remaining oblivious to the chaos your child is causing in the hopes that no one will know they are YOUR child is not the answer!
Just like it’s a dog owner’s responsibility to not allow their dog to poop in another person’s yard—or to clean up the poop from a sidewalk—parents too have to be the beacons of cleaning up the messes their children cause in public. Because if other people are forced to step in it, so to speak, you can expect a confrontation.
One Response
After reading this article parents or some parents wonder why their kids are a handful,why some people aren’t “big” on their kids etc and the parents or some parents wonder why they get blamed and in some cases punished for their kids’ poor behavior all because they don’t bother to control their kids.