My poor drink

[Skandranon]

Stopped into my cheese stick providor for cheesy goodness. You know, the restaurant with the "ring for good service" bell that no one rings?

Was dazing off into daydream land when this kid comes by, flying his toy car along the walls and tables. Had to be less than five years old, cute kid really. But as he comes by me, he eyes my drink, then sticks out a hand as he passes and swats it over, right into my lap.

Unfortunately for him I've developed some instincts about confrontation, and had a hand clenched in his shirt before I'd processed what had happened. He "eep!"s and starts bawling. Legs go limp and everything. Then he flails his arms and his toy airplane goes straight for my hair, and gets stuck. I let go to remove it, and he bolts for the bathroom.

I don't see any parental figures in the place and I'm late for work, so I leave the airplane at the register and get a to-go box.

Lucky for me, I keep spare clothes in the car. In the words of the great Torg, "This looks like a job for emergency pants!"

[IT Grunt]

I bet that kid wasn't expecting you to react like that, and I'd sincerely hope that he has it in mind next time he considers doing that. Classic case of a kid without any parental guidance and/or parents who could care less about what he does.

It does remind me of a story my dad told me once. He was at a training class for work, and one night in the hotel he was staying at, these kids had come in and were running up and down the halls, banging on doors. Dad had already woke up from the noise, and he listened and figured they were coming down his side of the hallway. He waited until they were most likely about to get to his door, whipped that sucker open and grabbed the kid by the neck. "Look here son, there's a lot of tired people in this hotel tonight, and we're all trying to get some sleep. Now get your a$$ out of this hotel, before I throw it out myself."

Scared the kid out of his wits, and he and his pals ran like scared bunnies. Dad went on to tell me that he ran into that kid in town the next day, and that kid was all "Good morning sir, I'm really sorry about last night sir, how are you today sir?"

Let's hope this kid gets a similar clue.

[CurlyLocks]

We were staying at a hotel once and a bunch of teens were out in the hall rather late, talking and laughing quite loudly. My husband went out there and told them we needed to get up very early and asked if they could keep it down. We were very pleasantly surprised that they immediately apologized and complied.

Sometimes it's nice to get a reminder that not all young'uns are future SC's.

[upsidedown_orchid]

Sometimes it's nice to get a reminder that not all young'uns are future SC's.

Agreed. Sometimes they just have no idea how loud they are being. It's easy to get carried away.

[Jack7957]

I stayed at a hotel one time, there was a group of young kids there, I figure around 10-12 years old with chaperones. Where does the hotel give me a room? Right in the middle of all their rooms. 10:30 at night and the kids are out in the hallways, running, yelling, etc. I look out and the chaperones are sitting out there also talking with each other. Called the front desk and had them move me to the other wing of the hotel.

[blas]

The neighbor I always complain about, she has two toddlers.

She insists on smoking outside on the balcony. She is so into her cigarettes and whatever drug she's currently tripping on that she could care less that her two todders run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth along the entire front balcony of the apartement. They go wizzing past my apartment screaming at the top of their lungs. Then they stop at the stairs, turn around, and wizz by again, their feet stomping and them screaming "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" like bloody murder screaming. Then they get to the other stairs at the end, turn around, rinse and repeat.

I had my boytoy over yesterday, and we were relaxing on the couch. Even though I am used to this daily annoyance, it still makes my ears hurt and makes me cringe every day. This was the first time for boytoy........he got SO annoyed by the antics that he threatened that as soon as he felt the floor shaking (meaning that the kids were getting close) he was going to open the door right in their faces so that it would clothesline the little brats.

As much as I laughed at that idea, I didn't want to get a fight started with their crackwhore rhino mother. I only have to deal with her for one more month.....one more month.......please oh please just make something happen....

[Melxb]

I have my own little kid in a hotel story: I went to Vegas with 2 girlfriends 6 years ago. We stayed in a hotel that is more geared towards an adult/business environment and has a VERY small casino. We picked this hotel because 1) it was about $40 a night cheaper than hotels on the strip, 2) it was literally only a block off the strip so it was super close by, and 3) we knew that we were going to party late and didn't want to be woken up by kids running down the hallway at 7:30am.

At 8am we hear kids literally banging on the door of every room on our floor. There were 3 kids, all between 6-8, going up and down the hallway banging on the door of every single room. We had just gotten in at 4am (it's Vegas remember) and were more than a little cranky that our sleep had been disturbed. After the 4th hit and run, my friend opened the door to the room, grabbed a boy who was about 6 (we think) and stood with him with the door open, and told him "We're going to stand her, in the hallway with the door open, until your mom or dad comes to get you." And she did.

After 20 minutes (20 MINUTES) my other girlfriend called the front desk and told them she had a lost 6 year old. Five minutes later, as security is coming down the hallway, the door of the room 2 down from us opens and a lady spots him. "Oh, that's where you've been!" And she's smiling the whole time! No clue where the other two kids went. My friend, who was not in the mood to talk to anyone, told security what happened, and the smile instantly was wiped from the woman's face. The little kid? Never cried when he was standing there. It was a weird situation, but it did get us a free night in Vegas.

[Lehk]

T She is so into her cigarettes and whatever drug she's currently tripping on .....


I only have to deal with her for one more month.....one more month.......please oh please just make something happen....

call child protective services.

[Becks]

You know, the restaurant with the "ring for good service" bell that no one rings?

Pardon my ignorance, but does one ring the bell to GET good service, or BECAUSE they got good service?

[tollbaby]

call child protective services.

That's way harsh for letting your kids run wild on a balcony when you're out there with them. They're not being abused or severely neglected. Their behavior simply isn't being controlled. Calling Child Protective Services would be a gross overreaction, and exactly the kind of thing we were all complaining about in another thread somewhere around here. Maybe that's why kids keep slipping through the cracks....

[Whyme]

That's way harsh for letting your kids run wild on a balcony when you're out there with them. They're not being abused or severely neglected. Their behavior simply isn't being controlled. Calling Child Protective Services would be a gross overreaction, and exactly the kind of thing we were all complaining about in another thread somewhere around here. Maybe that's why kids keep slipping through the cracks....

Slighlty related. I have been looking at summer day camps for my son and one jumped out at me as being a little harsh. Their policy is any child dropped off before 7:00AM or still there after 6:00 PM will turned over to child protective services . I worked day care and the most we did was charge people by the minute if they were late. Wouldn't it take less time for the workers to wait a few minutes for a parent stuck in traffic than wait for CPS to show up?

[MadMike]

Pardon my ignorance, but does one ring the bell to GET good service, or BECAUSE they got good service?

If he's talking about Arby's, which I think he is, it's to ring to let the employees know you got good service. And I hate those damn bells, especially when I'm trying to fight off a migraine. I can only imagine how it must grate on the nerves to the poor employees who are stuck working there for hours at a time. They always say "Thank you!" when someone rings them, which I imagine they're supposed to do, but they sound annoyed when they say it, and I don't blame them one bit.

One time I went there, and found out the clappers (I think that's what they're called, the things inside the bells that make them ring) had mysteriously disappeared. But a few weeks later, they were back intact. I imagine some corporate jackass in a suit, who never worked in an actual customer-related setting in his life, found out about it and bitched.

What I wouldn't give for 5 minutes alone with the sadistic bastard who came up with that brilliant idea.

[TwoScoopsSciath]

My mother and I belong to the SCA (not the Student Council, the OTHER one, The one with swords). Every year, like clockwork, we go to Pennsylvania for one of the bigger events. In our area of the campground, there's a lot of parties. Meaning the next year, there's lots of babies, who eventually grow up to be kids.

One year, my mother was Acting Camp Mom, which meant she helped to keep things organized. She had parked herself under the Dinner Canopy in a deck chair to enjoy the lake and the breeze, one day, while the older kids fished and the younger ones ran around like the evil little beesters they were.

Being that this was a campout, there were tent stakes and guide ropes. All of these could have hurt an adult, much less a kid. Mom kept telling them to run around on the dirt path, where the worst hazards were goose poop and pebbles. The children continued to tear around in the camp proper.

Finally, my mother yells over her shoulder, "Go play in the road like GOOD children!"

Which they did.

The next year, I was helping her at her booth, selling clothing pieces and jewelry. I was maybe 13 at the time, and very sensitive. I'd just had a traumatic year in junior high and was looking forward to a place where folks accepted the weird ones.

This was the year that the little heathens decended.

I don't know who they are, who they belonged with, or why they were so evil. The few times I saw them, they were making fun of everything. People's clothes, appearance, intelligence, and other things.

One day, they pounced my mom's booth. I was helping her run the till and apparently this made me a target. One boy tried to lift my skirt, while one of the girls literally threw a table cloth off the table, yanked the box underneath out and tried to walk away with a $20 ceramic incense burner.

Thankfully, Mom managed to pass it down the line that these kids were a nuisance and she was calling security. Their mom (yeah they were siblings) showed up and hauled them away. I didn't see them again until pack-up, when they started making fun of my accent.

I love kids. They're still evil.

[Reyneth]

That's way harsh for letting your kids run wild on a balcony when you're out there with them. They're not being abused or severely neglected. Calling Child Protective Services would be a gross overreaction....

If she is a druggie, as the neighbor mentioned, then calling CPS is not an overreaction. CPS workers are overworked but many of them are there because they do care about the kids - and my sister (CPS worker for 2 years) would work overtime without pay just to ensure a child's safety. Lehk was right in the suggestion for blas to call.

[tollbaby]

If she is a druggie, as the neighbor mentioned, then calling CPS is not an overreaction. CPS workers are overworked but many of them are there because they do care about the kids - and my sister (CPS worker for 2 years) would work overtime without pay just to ensure a child's safety. Lehk was right in the suggestion for blas to call.

IF - and that's a big if - she has evidence (i.e. she has witnessed drug use around the children), then yes, it's appropriate to call. But calling just because the kids are running up and down the balcony? No, that would be grossly unfair (and a waste of precious resources). I jokingly say my neighbors are druggies (they do all smoke pot, after all), but I'd never call CPS on the one neighbor who has a baby. Now if the mom's a total crack-whore and you KNOW that, that's a different story.