When it rains it pours

[bankworking]

I don't know about when they get older, but I find it very easy to keep a 3-year old and an 8-year old eating healthy. Just... keep presenting them with healthy food. If that's what's in the house; they'll eat it. Sure, they each have a few items they can't stand (my girl despises onions and peppers, my boy hates pizza of all things). If I'm making a main meal I know one isn't fond of, I do try to make certain to have healthy sides that are more appreciated, so I accommodate to some extent. But really, it's not hard at this age. They can't exactly go out and buy their own meals.

...except I do let my 8-year old handle her own lunch. I am aware that she tends to avoid the veggies at school, and often goes for the peanut and butter sandwiches that they offer each day as an alternative to their main. Not too concerned about the lunch not being what I would choose for her, because I know what she's eating for breakfast and dinner.

So maybe there is some hope that at least a few of the kids are getting healthy meals at home, even if they abuse the free reign at school?

[Kanalah]

Most of the kids are pretty good about eating. There's always 1 or 2 in every class that either run the house, or try to argue with me because they think they can bully me around.

By this time of the school year, I'd say 99% of the kids are eating okay. I have 1 first grader who'd rather talk then eat, my 4th grader who won't eat anything that's good for him (and he openly brags about it) and really that's about it.

The kids don't get in trouble for not eating properly. They get in trouble for cursing, throwing trash, throwing food, pounding on the table, fighting and talking back to the adults. I just gently ask "Hey sweetheart/buddy/child's name, would you like to try a green bean today? They're really yummy." That's all.

[Ironclad Alibi]

When I was a young lad, I hated cooked vegetables. But I loved raw vegetables. The doctor told my mother to let me eat them. As a result I was the healthiest of her four kids.

[Kanalah]

Oh my freaking god

So I wasn't at work yesterday - I was with my son because he was having braces put on. Apparently I missed a doozy of a day.

Apparently one of the parents (who is one of the ones with no rules at home) decided to write a letter to the Principal about all the "problems" at the school. Instead of you know actually talking to the staff about things. In her letter she said that the "Lunch staff doesn't allow the kids to talk." Which is a huge lie because of course we let them talk. It gets so loud in there you can't talk to the person next to you without shouting. The letter also says that it's unfair for us to have rules and punishments for breaking them.

So the principal talked to my co-worker to find out what's going on before writing back a rebuttal. We have a handful of parents saying that they won't be back next year and frankly it's all the ones with no rules at home. We won't miss them.

Today we had 3 out of 7 6th grade boys shouting. pounding on the tables, and throwing things around that were shocked, shocked I say that we told them to behave.

[MoonCat]

it's unfair for us to have rules and punishments for breaking them.

Well, of course it is! You can't expect real life to be that way, uh...wait a minute...

Never mind.

To be serious: God, talk about setting up kids for failure!

[notalwaysright]

I seriously just typed a giant rant about rules and the general downfall of society, then deleted it because you guys don't need to read my stream of consciousness, lol. Ahem. As always, you're a much more patient person than I to deal with this nonsense.

[Teefies2]

I dealt with this today, even though it wasn't a customer .... but definately sucky. Bit of background - I work at a drugstore. We hire a bit above the average man on the street, because, you know, people's lives are involved - drugs can kill :/

So I get the "manager take line one" call. I already know this isn't good, because my "kids" (I'm the night manager and I have all high-school students working after 4pm) don't say "manager" unless there's a problem, they know my name. That type of page means the person started screaming for a manager before the person answering the phone could even finish their "Thank you for calling (my workplace)" spiel

So the woman starts out nice. She tells me her son had filled out an application and come in to take the aptitude test. But, you see, it kept logging him out, so he never got to finish it. (I make appropriate sympathy noises) And then TODAY!!!!!!eleventy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he got a call that he was not qualified to work there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I continue to make sympathy noises, but explain that I am not the hiring manager, give her his name and his hours when he is in the store. I also explain that I have not seen her son's application, nor was I privy to the phone conversation, so I really can't tell her what happened.

And this is when she loses it .....

She's confused. She doesn't understand why he can't work there. He's a straight A student!!!! How the hell hard can it be to work stocking at <my workplace>? "It's not rocket science you know" (in the most condescending voice you can imagine)

AND I'm done. I muster up my most polite voice to say "there's a bit more to the job than that, but you really need to speak with <my store manager>, who will be here from <his hours>."

Really? I'm sorry we hurt your precious' feelings. But this is not a dollar store (apologies to my dollar store CS'ers) ... people's lives can actually be affected ... or even ended ... if we make a mistake. So, yes you're right, it's not rocket science - to us, it's a HELL of a lot more important! Oh, and by the way, Precious isn't going to be able to get and keep a job with you hovering over and doing his dirty work for him!

Follow up: I talked to my manager about this afterward, he nor his assistant manager had called this applicant. So whoever did call was not from our store. She lost her stuff at the wrong people! I hope she's proud of herself for protecting her precious from the mean ol' nasty world out there!

[Seanette]

Hopefully, Precious' application went in the "never hire" file over this. The kid himself might well be just fine, but would you really want CopterMamaBear going berserk every time Precious is corrected or doesn't get promotions and raises in record time or (gasp) is required to work when he'd rather not (or she'd rather he didn't)?

[laborcat]

I seriously just typed a giant rant about rules and the general downfall of society, then deleted it because you guys don't need to read my stream of consciousness, lol. Ahem. As always, you're a much more patient person than I to deal with this nonsense.

I bet just typing it out made you feel better. I do that sometimes. I write letters to people then throw them away.

[dawnfire]

I bet just typing it out made you feel better. I do that sometimes. I write letters to people then throw them away.

It's even better if you print it out and burn it

[Crai]

She has to have a catheter put in after lunch - she was here last year and I heard that her parents didn't want to potty train her, so we have to do the catheter.

And this year we have a 3 year old that when she came at the beginning of the school year she didn't know how to chew. She'd only been fed baby food. So mom packed candy and junk food to "encourage" her to eat at school.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.... How is CPS not involved with those two?

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

Parents are part of the reason I don't hire direct anymore. Well, that and I'm hiring day labor and/or temp positions, but even if I did need to do full timers, I'd probably still go through the agency.

Pretty much only had the issues during the summer season, trying to get temp labor and the agency is flush with high schoolers and college kids home for the summer. I got tired of getting phone calls from parents chewing me out because their precious child was expected to actually work. Mind you, it's not like I'm expecting a 14 year old to push a wheelbarrow, I won't/can't use em unless they're 18 or older.

I could go into a whole rant on the unsuitable qualities of some of the candidates that I've dealt with before. I know I've done so before, lol. Just puzzles me sometimes, how they can ignore what to me are basic instructions. Most of the time, it's not like I need much. Willing to work, able to lift 50#, and wearing closed toe shoes and appropriate clothing for physical labor. Oh yeah, and no smoking on the job. Leave the site during lunch if you want to smoke. Sure, we work outdoors but just nope. My biz, my decision.

Had one precious flower show up in flip flops, short shorts and a tank top w bikini top underneath. Was already shorthanded and running late on a job, figured she could at least load wheelbarrows from the pile and the other two temps would schlep back and forth. Had to teach her how to hold a shovel first. *sigh* Ten minutes later she's sitting down in a wheelbarrow, smoking a cig, on the phone complaining to her mother. Went over, stood in front of her, listened for a couple minutes before she looked up, chuffs, and says "I'd better go, he's looking at me." I just said "Don't bother. Was that your mom that dropped you off this morning? She can come pick you up."

[Kanalah]

Hub's job had evals in January.

One of his co-workers that is in the main office in Pittsburg didn't get a raise. In fact nobody did except the execs, but that's another story. Word came down that an angry woman in her 50's/60's came into the office and screamed at everyone.

Yep. His mom came into the office raising holy heck because precious didn't get a raise. Precious is in his mid 30's btw.

Precious got fired for his mom's antics.

[Aria]

Hub's job had evals in January.

One of his co-workers that is in the main office in Pittsburg didn't get a raise. In fact nobody did except the execs, but that's another story. Word came down that an angry woman in her 50's/60's came into the office and screamed at everyone.

Yep. His mom came into the office raising holy heck because precious didn't get a raise. Precious is in his mid 30's btw.

Precious got fired for his mom's antics.

Dear gods. I feel horrible for him. Although he ought to have known not to say ANYTHING to his mother. She must have pulled this crap when he was younger.

Although if I'd been him I'd have thrown mom under the bus. Apologize profusely and blame it on the early onset Alzheimer's...

[Kanalah]

Okay so today besides the 6th grade stuff - posted in the FB group - I had a 3rd grader tell me he wanted to shoot himself in the head. I told him that a lot of people would be sad if he did that, and that no matter how bad things are, they will get better.

I did have to report it to his teacher and the principal. Because we don't know if he's serious or attention-seeking.