Don't tell my kid what to do.

[tigger222]

I was checking a guy out today when I looked up and saw his daughter starting to open a pack of gum. I looked at her and said "Please don't open that". He snapped at me "You don't tell my kid what to do. You tell me and I will tell her what to do. I want to speak to a manger right now". So I called a manger up and he tell him that I yelled at his kid. My manger turned to me and asked me what happened and I told him that I asked his daughter to please not open the pack of gum. The customer jumps in and says "You did not say please you yelled at her not to open it. I will take this to whoever I have to to have it dealt with". My manger told me he was dealing with it and the guy stormed out. My manger said that he believed me and to just watch my tone and walked off.

[stucksb]

Speaking as a Mother:

My god, how insecure as a parent do you have to be to go off like a crazy person when someone is trying to help you and your kid?

My response when I'm too busy to notice the niggling things my child does and someone else catches it: Thank you. <child name> put it down and come over here and help mommy.

[MoxisPilot]

I grew up with the addage, "It takes a village to raise a child."

I'd like to edit it now. "It takes a village to raise a child, sans one incompetant dillhole."

[tropicsgoddess]

I grew up with the addage, "It takes a village to raise a child."

I'd like to edit it now. "It takes a village to raise a child, sans one incompetant dillhole."

Nice!!! But sadly all too true. What an ass.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Yeah I don't get parents who react like that. If a store clerk had to tell me not to do something my parents' reaction would have been 'Did you hear what you were told? You were told not to do that! Put it down right now!"

[d962831]

yikes, some parents just really shouldn't be parents. I think I would've considered saying, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were going to buy it, and then add the gum to thee bill before they could say anything. That might make them realize that their kid was the one at fault.

[Pagan]

My manger said that he believed me and to just watch my tone and walked off.

And what tone would that be? Doesn't he want you to be polite?

[tigger222]

Pagan I think that he said it so that the other guy would hear it. But to be honest I will to ticked off at the time to even care and just let it go.

[MelodiousBubbles]

I had a similar incident with having a parent freak out at me for telling her kid what to do. Only it involved me telling her kid not to EAT broken glass. Not going to get into the details. I posted it up sometime last week or the week before, I think.

[AirHostess]

I get that at work sometimes when telling children not to fiddle in the galley, to sit down and fasten their seatbelt, turn their ipod off for landing etc

I just respond with "I am here for your safety and security," and point at the section on the safety card and in the magazine that say all lawful commands from crewmembers MUST be obeyed.

The thing is, some cultures traditionally don't have women telling males what to do. This can be a problem on some flights when the mother refuses to reprimand her son(s). But they are on a British aircraft so they do what I tell them to do!

[MoonChild2007]

You can never win. You tell a kid not to do something, the parents get upset at you but if the kid does something stupid and the employee doesn't say anything, they will sue the company

[TexasT]

In the amount of time it would've taken you to get the parent's attention (which may take awhile, given that these parents are oftentimes in their own little world), tell them to stop their child, and have them actually do just that, the child will have opened the gum already and probably could've stuck more than one stick in their mouth.

[Lace Neil Singer]

What bugs me is when parents make me into the bad guy; for example, "Put that down right now or the lady will tell you off!"

[Anakah]

Well, you have every right to be concerned considering, I bet the gum wasn't paid for correct? So you were only making sure she didn't steal! I bet the father would have loved that! What a jerk.

[Uncle Silly Head]

I grew up with the addage, "It takes a village to raise a child."

I'd like to edit it now. "It takes a village to raise a child, sans one incompetant dillhole."

"I think the dad's village managed to raise an Idiot"