customers and their Kids

[Kara]

Our 2 year old only gets to walk in a the store (well, a large store like a best buy or the somewhere like a mall) when he's wearing a lead. Say what you will, but it allows him to feel like a big kid and walk on his own without being snatched away if we look away for a split second. Our 4 year old gets 1 warning not to wander off, then she gets to ride in a cart.

Walking with a lead is fun. "Look at those terrible bitches, making that child walk like a dog!" Then the very next person to walk by says: "Oh, that's so wonderful! I need one of those for mine! Where on earth did you find that?"

[NightAngel]

Would this be it?

It was quite similar to that, yes.

Sad that he's going to be 16 in a couple of days... wait... 16... crap! Maybe I need one more NOW!

[Anakah]

I remember the "code adam" thing from when I used to work at walmart.

I can't believe how parents ignore their kids and let them wander. You'd be surprised how people let their kids wander around by themselves in a casino, it makes me worry for the poor kids. I'd be afraid of them getting kidnapped. I think the parents feel that there are so many cameras that we'd baby sit for them.

I've seen those little backpacks that are dogs and monkeys and the tail is what the parent holds onto. I don't know if thats like being on a leash but atleast it looks a little better than those scary harnesses. Or my take, hold their hand! But I don't have kids so I don't know much about them. But I do know you should keep your eyes on them...

[zzapp the witch]

I'm stuck on the cat haikus.

Also, I want to hear about the kidnapped grandpa.

[Reyneth]

Walking with a lead is fun. "Look at those terrible bitches, making that child walk like a dog!" Then the very next person to walk by says: "Oh, that's so wonderful! I need one of those for mine! Where on earth did you find that?"

So the 2nd is either a parent or has close association with children of toddler/preschool age (I'm not a parent yet but I've babysat enough to know my kids will have "leashes," period) and the 1st are just ignorant and naieve non-parenting types.

Of course when the 1st type do breed, they'd be the first ones to sue the store where their child was kidnapped when they weren't paying attention......

[Gravekeeper]

Walking with a lead is fun. "Look at those terrible bitches, making that child walk like a dog!" Then the very next person to walk by says: "Oh, that's so wonderful! I need one of those for mine! Where on earth did you find that?"

Yeah, I'd be willing to bet money on which one is a parent/uncle/aunt/etc ;p

I also have to agree with the media saturation thing. People have this impression that some how the old days were "safer" and full of nice happy smiling people. When the fact of the matter is the crime stats, etc aren't much different really. Heck, they've actually gone down in a lot of places, especially violent crimes. Its just that we HEAR it more now because of the media. All this crap was happening through out the world at much the same rate before, its just now we actually hear about it. All the bloody time. Because at its essence the media, especially in the States, thrives off fear mongering and bad news for the ratings value. ;/

I like the kid pager radar thing. Have to look that one up should I decide to reproduce.

[Marxfan]

Yeah, I hate the myth of the "good old days". Crime, kidnapping, and violence have always existed! Just because it didn't happen to you, it didn't mean it didn't happen to someone else! Whenever my baby boomer parents start talking about how they used to "never lock the door, wander off freely or trusted strangers", I just want to smack them!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Our 2 year old only gets to walk in a the store (well, a large store like a best buy or the somewhere like a mall) when he's wearing a lead. Say what you will, but it allows him to feel like a big kid and walk on his own without being snatched away if we look away for a split second. Our 4 year old gets 1 warning not to wander off, then she gets to ride in a cart.

Walking with a lead is fun. "Look at those terrible bitches, making that child walk like a dog!" Then the very next person to walk by says: "Oh, that's so wonderful! I need one of those for mine! Where on earth did you find that?"

First time I took mine out on her tether, I was ready for all sorts of abuse. The abuse never came. Better than half the kids we saw at the zoo that day were on leads themselves. And I swear I'm not making this up, but one kid (about 6 or so?) turned to his buddy and said "I wish I had one of those when I was a kid." Scout's honor. My 2 year old loves hers. She can run around and be independant, and not have to hold my hand. But she gets a sense of seurity, too.

BTW, I'll be checking out that alarm! What a great idea!

[magiccat26]

We have a similar alarm for my daughter. Most of the time, it's easy to keep track of her (she's almost 5), but we really love it at the Renaissance Faires. There are just so many items to get distracted by (both for us and for her) that it makes DH and I feel safer.

[worddork]

The first bookstore I worked at was in the same shopping center as a 24 hour fitness place that offered child care. Well, one day two of the children they were supposed to be watching wandered off, out of the fitness center and into my store. Now when the two boys came in I, stupidly, assumed that there was a parent close behind. Nope! I wacthed as the oldest, 7maybe, truned the the younger one, possible 5, and say "Shhh, this is a library" then head to the back of the store were the children's books were kept. After 15 minutes a frazzled woman, in workout clothes, comes rushing in looking for two "lost" boys, had I seen them. Me: "Yes they're in the children's section in the back."
FW: "Why didn't you call the fitness center? Or bring them back?"
Me: "1) I'm the only one here, and I'm not going to close the store to return children you, or the center should be looking after. 2) Your children will not talk to me because I'm a stranger, you taught them well, so I don't where to return them. 3) If knew they belong at the center, I still could not call because I don't have the center's number, and one of the sale associates sold our yellow pages phone book. 4) The children's section is in the back, both doors are in the front, by the check out counter, where I have been the entire time your children have been in here, so would have known if they tried to leave and could have stopped them."
The woman grabbed her kids and left in a huff.
My manger came back from break as I gave my speech, watched the woman leave, looked at me and said "Right on"