"Dear god, if you're that outnumbered JUST STOP SCREWING!"

[neumeindil]

I work in an office supplies store. Today, a father came in with his five kids between ages 12 and 2. The three oldest bolted for the computers section. The two youngest went in entirely opposite directions. So there was an unleashed, unaccompanied, completely uncontrolled "just figured out how to run" sized child going wherever he wanted for 2

Comments

[degizzie]

Sounds like he's waaaay over his head with the kids and just simply doesn't care anymore. He probably loves them, but also regrets having them if he's that indifferent to their behaviour.

[longtail]

Yeah, definitely sounds like a zombie duhd. His soul has been sucked out.

[falconwhitaker]

If the father can't control them in a shop, then Lord only knows how he's going to stop them from running into traffic. I mean, seriously? When I was a little kid, my parents put me on reigns so I wouldn't be able to run away and get hit by a car or something. Why don't people seem to use them more often? I mean, I know it kinda looks like you're putting the kid on a leash, but isn't that preferable to losing the child or death?

[skyeyes9]

I was nearly 9 years old when Kid Brother was born (so I was paying close attention). When he reached the age of being able to walk on his own, my mother put a harness and a leash on him whenever she took him shopping. (And he was a *good* little kid, quiet and shy and not given to running and screaming and trashing stores.)

I'm happy to report that today he's 55 years old, happy, brilliant, and well-adjusted. Being on a harness and leash didn't seem to hurt him in the least. Neither did that other awful practice mother indulged in - i.e., covering herself and the baby up with a blankie when breastfeeding if non-family folks were in the vicinity.

[trichgal76]

This reminds of the time I was shopping at my local Rite Aid and there was this tiny kid, no more than 4, just running up and down the aisle, apparently grabbing stuff. I was in the next aisle. Where were his parents? At the pharmacy, picking something up and not paying attention to their kid. Oh the father did finally call to his kid, as in "ChildName, please come here. Don't touch that. No you can't have that" repeatedly, trying to negotiate with a small child and failing. I could hear the tiny voice argue back at his father. I thought: dude, just grab your fucking kid, he's not going to obey! I quickly made my way to the cashier out of fear I would get bothered by said kid and his idiot parents.

Not as bad as your story, but geezus, disciplining them will not harm their fragile little souls! They will grow up and move on. What happened to the you break it, you pay for it rule?

[chocolate_frapp]

Kids are at least smart enough to know what they can get away with when a parent is being a wimp. Even really little kids will understand this instinctively.

[skyeyes9]

So true. Even though I don't have kids of my own, they tend to obey me when I give them a command. I address children in the same voice I use to discipline dogs, and it works like a *charm*. Don't understand why the breeders can't pick up on this simple technique. (Of course, they probably can't discipline their dogs, either.)

[fignorton]

This guy needs one of those group dog leashes for his litter of bratlets