Unruly Kids in Public Places
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One of my biggest pet peeves is unruly kids in public places. And even worse, parents who don’t care about their children’s behavior and allow them to run wild.
The other day, I switched my internet provider from Verizon to AT&T Fiber. I had that provider at my apartment. But when I moved here, it wasn’t available in my area. Several months ago, though, it became available.
Kendra switched over to this internet provider a few weeks ago. She had Cox Cable and said it buffered a lot.
Riley gets to work from home some Fridays. But the internet connection kept him from doing much of his work. He’d end up going to his dad’s house, who lives in a small town outside of Tulsa.
But allow me to move on so you’ll know why I’m telling this story.
The Trip to the Verizon Store:
After the AT&T guys left, I decided to go take my Verizon modem to one of their local stores. I rarely go anywhere that I have to get out of my car due to health issues, so I just wanted to get it over with.
I went to one Verizon store that had barely anyone in it. The guy there told me he couldn’t cancel my account and take the modem. He said I needed to go to another Verizon store to get both done. So I drove there.
It was a pretty busy store, so I had to sign in and wait.
There was a family in there with at least five kids. The oldest one (probably around age 14) did something to the wall of phones, setting off an alarm. It sounded like when you accidentally click the wrong thing on your car fob.
We all had to wait while the alarm continued to screech until someone who worked there finished what she was doing. Then she had to go down a hall somewhere.
She came back with the key, but it wasn’t that easy to make the alarm stop screeching. The woman had trouble reaching the place to put the key in.
The Loud Alarm:
The horrid sound continued. Finally she turned it off. But that wasn’t the end of the screeching. I asked her why it didn’t go off. She said it takes a few minutes to go off after you use the key.
Lordy. I reminded myself that this is why I rarely go out. And almost never to stores. But, stupidly, I had gone out on a Friday afternoon, when there is even more traffic, to complete this task.
What surprised me was that the parents stood right there and saw what the boy did, yet said nothing. They acted as if they didn’t care that their son had done something he wasn’t supposed to do.
And that exposed the rest of us to the horrible, loud screeching sound.
Once I made eye contact with the father, and he just glared at me, as if he was waiting for me to say something.
I told the man at the counter, who was working on canceling my account, that I would never have allowed my kids to even touch anything on that wall. It would have been forbidden. There were rules in public places that you had to follow. He agreed with me.
Who wants to be exposed to a loud screeching alarm because parents aren’t dealing properly with their kids?
More Strange Behavior:
But it didn’t stop there. The kid who set off the alarm then hovered over my shoulder. It made me uncomfortable, and there I was taking out my credit card and driver’s license in his view.
I turned toward him, and he backed off. But then a few minutes later he did it again. I don’t like people invading my space.
While the Verizon guy was working on my account, I mentioned that I hadn’t been in one of these stores in probably five years.
As I was leaving, I told him that I may just stay home and not go into stores for another five years. He said: “Well, maybe by then you’ll want to use our services again.”
I rarely go out in public to stores or restaurants. First off, it is a physical issue because I have trouble walking. Loud kids make me want to jump off a cliff.
It doesn’t seem like it’s always been this way. Has it always been this way?
Were there always so many parents who are checked out? Alternatively, do they just flat-out not care what their kids do?
When I Was Young:
I was raised that when you went out in public or to someone else’s home, you didn’t make noise. You were quiet and respectful, and you didn’t touch things.
I guess all that has changed.
When we walked to town, if you were on good behavior, you might get a ten-cent double ice cream cone at the drugstore soda fountain. I can’t think of a single time we ate at a restaurant when I was a child.
Maybe that’s why I’m such a homebody. I’m accustomed to not going places.
It was a simple life.
Today, I live frugally. If I won a million dollars tomorrow, I would not move or go out and buy a new car.
Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without was a customary phrase when I was growing up.
What I care about regarding my home is that it be comfy and cozy. I look for bargains when I shop online. My life is simple and satisfying.
I stay home in my cozy little place and leave the loud world out there to others. I plant my garden, decorate my house, and take care of my cats. I’m happy with that kind of life.
Now, if I can just manage to stay out of stores with loud, unruly kids and disengaged parents.
I am with you Brenda 100%. I grew up in the 40s and 50s. Back in the day when many people had less than people do today, it seems they respected things more and treated others with respect. I’m afraid children today and parents for sure are too busy with their mobile phones to care about anything else.
Nothing wrong with phones, but I think that having one in your hand 10 hours or more a day (which I have seen) takes away from the time spent with actual talking to your children, and then they too, have a phone, and nobody knows how to behave when actual other people are in their space so to speak.
Did not mean to rant on, but the world has changed since I was young.
Oh, you are so right Brenda!
I too can’t believe how totally disrespectful some kids are and worse how their parents seem to support it. If have gotten a smack right there. My children knew better of lordy they’d have gotten a spanking.
I prefer staying at home whenever possible because I live in a town full of rude people. I can’t understand why this place is like this. There’s no Southern hospitality here. Do I shop online as much as I can and enjoy gardening, decorating or playing with my dog Zoey.
Restaurants and stores aren’t pleasant places to go with kids like that.
First, I love the picture of the kitties sitting in the window. That’s a keeper for sure. Secondly, I agree with you wholeheartedly that kids today are totally out of control and the parents are “out to lunch” so to speak. And it’s so detrimental for the kids to be raised that way. My granddaughter is 9 years old, always taught to be respectful and knows her place. She spends a lot of time with her parents friends who always want to her to join them because she’s no trouble. And she’s well traveled and knows how to behave in all situations — in the Bahamas now with her parents for vacation. It’s a blessing for the parents, too, if they only knew that training their children to behave well will benefit them as well as the child grows and they want to take them places and do things.
That’s good to hear, Ann.
Parents are spending too much time doing what THEY want. No kid wants to shop endlessly with Mom. If my kid got unruly, I left the store. Parents don’t say no and mean it. I listened to one dad say no going on 4+ times never making good on any of it. Drove me nuts. Then there’s the parents that throw the F-bomb at their kids. About space invasion a boy about 6 slid between me and a shelf – I was maybe a foot & a half away. I said excuse me please. Mom said nothing. Then he proceeded to blow and snort his green snot dripping from his nose into his shirt. Two days ago I saw a 3 yr old eating grapes off the vine walking around the store & I can make a pretty good guess that they weren’t paid for. Parents aren’t parenting and it’s obvious.
How awful!
I agree with staying home as much as possible. It is sad to think how these children are being brought up today. It makes me crazy going to a fast food restaurant or a medical facility and having to order or check in and when the check comes to your table you have to pay on your phone or they bring a little gismo for you to pay the bill yourself. I live in a small town where every Friday night you could go to the boardwalk by the Chesapeake Bay for a farmers market with food vendors and walk past the car show where you just showed up and the kids played. It was so relaxing. But sadly no more. There were fireworks in 2 places on the Bay last week and at both events someone was stabbed. One was a 17 year old innocent bystander. We live in a very safe county but the scum of the earth keeps creeping in unfortunately. I love your pictures today! Hope you and all your readers have a wonderful week!
It seems like things have changed drastically in the last decade. I’m much happier staying at home and very grateful for Walmart delivering groceries.
Brenda~
I agree wholeheartedly!
You and I were raised by adults who cared what we did.. and if we did not mind the RULES, we bore the repercussions for doing so..
We raised our children in the same manner, maybe not quite as strict but with reasonable boundaries..
Yesterday a dear friend and i had a luncheon date at a very nice restaurant, one that you could linger and converse awhile.. the place was fairly filled with couples and several adult groups celebrating birthdays/events..there was a slight hum of background conversations ..but not interfering with our conversation.
In comes a family with three or four small children plus a baby in arms.. From the moment they were seated, the children screamed an howled.. one kid was down on the floor kicking and screaming, another crawling on the table screaming along with the baby crying. At this point, people began leaving!
Never once did either parent take the child to the restroom for the “or else” conversation even after food was served, the chaos from that booth continued.. At this point, we decided we had lingered long enough, making our exit.
Whether the family was tourists or residents, they were sadly lacking in training their children in proper behavior/manners for restaurant dining.. perhaps in this instance, a kid-friendly drive -thru would have been the appropriate choice.
Had that been me and my kid or grandkids, at the first warning when misbehavior was indicated, we would marched out en-masse and discussed in the car as we were leaving and they knew it!!
You and I both. I am just horrified by the behavior of children in stores and restaurants. And it’s really the parents’ fault because they aren’t doing anything to remedy the situation or to teach them.
Oh I’m right there with you…..love to be at home. People are doing their children such a disfavor when they are not teaching them how to behave. Making it harder on the childrens future when they don’t know those basics….{and on the rest of society}