Being quiet isn't the same as well-behaved.

[notalwaysright]

Some days we have screamers. Some days we have runners. And some days, like today, we have the quiet demons. I'm talking about children.

You know some parents who think that if the kid isn't screaming, that means they're being good? I hate those parents sometimes even MORE than the parents of screamers. Why? Because at least a good portion of parents understand that screaming kids are a nuisance. It might not be the kid being bad or anything, I get that. Still, most parents recognize that screaming isn't the ideal. It's not like, a goal. They don't look at the screaming child and say, "aw, isn't my little helper adorable?" (Again, mostly, because I have witnessed a mom deliberately take something from a baby and laugh when she cried. "Haha, she has fabric withdrawals")

But parents of quiet demons are smug. They think that since the kid is quietly doing something -anything- that means they are successfully parenting. "Goodness, look how patient little Susie is being today!" thinks the parent.

Here's the problem with that. That kid is quietly destroying the flipping store. They create bouquets of fake flowers and thoughtfully leave them throughout the store, Easter egg hunt style. They take dozens of strung beads and decorate all the baskets with them. They carefully find all the glittery buttons and hide them in a wooden chest. They take fabric off the bolt and wrap it around themselves to pretend it's a dress, and leave it crumbled on the floor.

And these parents will actually try to get me to validate this. "Oh, well, it keeps him quiet." or "it's great how she uses her imagination!" I have such a hard time with that. I flat out refuse to say anything positive, so I pretty much say nothing. *sigh*

[Captain Trips]

Start charging them for all the merchandise now unsaleable thanks to "little darlin'."

[XCashier]

Start charging them for all the merchandise now unsaleable thanks to "little darlin'."

I wish we could, but we'd have to find it all first, and by the time we do, Mommy Dearest and her kin are long gone.

Whatever happened to "keep your hands to yourself" and keeping your kid by your side?

[Sheldonrs]

Is there a rule that says, just because the kids AREN'T screaming, that you can't scream at them? :-)

[EvilEmpryss]

How wonderful. Now if only the parents would teach their precious little brats the difference between things that belong to them that they can do all these wonderfully imaginative tricks with and things that belong to others which should be left the fuck alone unless they have permission from the owners.

Now my kids would do things like arrange all the Schleich animal figures in their proper slots (cows with cows, Percherons with Percherones, etc.), or something similar with just about anything, but they knew better than to go spreading things to places they didn't belong. Of course, I would make sure they knew that when they couldn't find that one special toy they were looking for that the store swore they had in stock it was probably because some little brat went wandering around the store with it and left it where it didn't belong, meaning no one else could buy it, either. They hate that and don't want that to happen to anyone else, either, so they'll even say things to other kids being obnoxious.

[Mr Hero]

Silent but deadly ones are always the worst.

[Thana]

I'd rather have the loud noisy kids. Yes, they're annoying and yes the screaming can be nerve grating but at least they can be tracked by sound! The silent kids though...they're scary. Having babysat my terror of nephews...when kids are silent, for me it always means they're up to something...and usually not a good something.

[registerrodeo]

My kids always stay glued to my side and the rule was 'look with your eyes, not your hands'

[raudf]

And it's parents like these that haven't learned what their offspring have. If they are QUIET, they are often in the most trouble in their lives. My kids go quiet and I start looking for a fire, because mine could/can never be quiet when they aren't causing mayhem.

Their kids are thinking, "Mmmm, if I'm quiet, Mommy won't notice that I've just set the house on fire! Yay!!!" Of course, these are the same parents that if their kids did manage to set fire to the store would yell at the employees for not watching their offspring for them!

[EricKei]

Whatever happened to "keep your hands to yourself" and keeping your kid by your side?

...or "Parenting" and "actually watching your freakin' kids" ?!?

Silent but deadly ones are always the worst.

It's always the quiet ones...

[Seshat]

If I go into an expensive store, the hand without the walking stick still goes behind my back!

My parents had us put our hands behind our backs, in 'look with your eyes' stores. Which was anywhere with anything even remotely fragile.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Being quiet isn't the same as well-behaved.

This should be all the proof you need of that. Kid isn't screaming or crying, he's just throwing things and dumping stuff off the shelves like a boss.

NSFW DUE TO LANGUAGE

[notalwaysright]

This should be all the proof you need of that. Kid isn't screaming or crying, he's just throwing things and dumping stuff off the shelves like a boss.

NSFW DUE TO LANGUAGE

Holy crap. I wonder if that store called 911? They should have. Unattended minor, and all. Even acts like he's going to hit the guy with the camera.

I was just going to complain about a kid messing with the thread, (though now it seems minor!) and then when she shows the mom one of the spools the mom said "oh honey! where did you get that??" Um, you weren't watching your kid, moron. I know, because I saw you with your back to her for like 10 minutes. Do you think a 4 year old isn't going to touch things until taught not to?

[HawaiianShirts]

They think that since the kid is quietly doing something -anything- that means they are successfully parenting.
...
And these parents will actually try to get me to validate this. "Oh, well, it keeps him quiet." or "it's great how she uses her imagination!"

I have to admit that we do this kind of thing with Baby Shirts, now that she's past the put-everything-in-her-mouth stage. If she's being whiny, we might hand her something from a store shelf--something inexpensive and that she's not likely to break or otherwise damage. But here's where I think the big difference is: She is supervised the whole time, we're ready to pay for the thing if she does damage it, and we put it away where we got it from if it's still in a sellable condition.

[wolfie]

You know some parents who think that if the kid isn't screaming, that means they're being good?

Why haven't these "parents" learned that if the kid's being quiet, either they've found the Kobe beef you bought for a VERY special event and are feeding it to the dog, or they're drawing on the walls with a "brown crayon"?