The other extreme of parenting

[thehuckster]

We've all experienced the bad parents from time to time, where their angel could cut off your leg with a blowtorch and still find some way to blame it on you. Here's a story of a parent who I felt was a little too strict.

Setting: CVS at the mall, slow time of day.

Apparently a kid, about 5 years old, not only asked his mother if he could have some candy, but if he could pay for it all by himself like a big boy. The mother agreed to both, and this is what happens after they enter the store.

The mother is about 6 feet behind the kid, and the kid is so short all I saw was a snickers bar caught in a tiny hand over the counter. I reach over to grab it, and at this point I can see his smiling face. I smile back, scan the candy bar, and give him the total.

The kid then pulls out the dollar from his pocket and, again, has a hard time reaching the counter. Before I had a chance to reach over and grab it, the kid balls the dollar into a ball, and then gently tosses it on the counter.

The mother was furious, "JIMMY! YOU DO NOT THROW MONEY AT THE CASHIER!!! Oh, sir, I am so sorry. Jimmy is going to timeout when we get home. You can forget about the candy bar, too."

Jimmy starts crying and I explain, "It's no problem. He couldn't reach the counter, so I can't blame him for--"

"No. I do not teach my kids to be rude like that. Come on Jimmy."

I was left feeling really bad for Jimmy. He was such a sweet kid and had no ill or rude intentions when he was paying me. Sure, I have grown up customers throw money at me and are far ruder than Jimmy, but I mean, come on, Jimmy did it because he felt he didn't have a choice. Poor kid.

[Beki710]

aww bless him! I actually find that pretty cute (the kid not the mother) I guess you only tend to see either very lax or very strict parents because their the ones that stick in your mind...

[Laund-o-rama Mama]

aww...I'm pretty strict with my son but this made me

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Aw, there will be other candy bars. This woman sounds like she's been in retail.

[tropicsgoddess]

What a sweet little boy. My parents were strict but not to that extreme.

[EricKei]

I can see the mom intending to try and raise her son right, but yeah, she went a bit overboard there. Poor kid >_<

[retailninja]

Well-intentioned mom, but why couldn't she have helped the poor little dude out and lifted him up so he could have handed you the money? Poor little guy!

[Kristev]

Sounds like my mother.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Wayyyy over the top. Jimmy sounds so sweet...(and yes, my parents were strict too but they would have known my intentions when I "threw" the money...)

[Pezzle]

Perhaps over the top for sure, but if explained well it can be a lesson well learned on manners. Though I think her reaction seems way out of proportion to the situation.

[thehuckster]

Wayyyy over the top. Jimmy sounds so sweet...(and yes, my parents were strict too but they would have known my intentions when I "threw" the money...)

Perhaps over the top for sure, but if explained well it can be a lesson well learned on manners. Though I think her reaction seems way out of proportion to the situation.

That's exactly how I see it. The kid specifically didn't do it to be rude, and his intent was simply "This is the only way I think I can give the guy his money." The mother could have simply said, afterwards, "Next time, what you should do is wait for the cashier to reach over instead of throwing the money. If you were older and you did that, they'd think you were rude."

That, alone, would suffice. The kid was so sweet it looked as though he was going to grow up to be a very nice guy. I think by now he must be in highschool, wonder if he remembers this whole incident.

[Pixilated]

I ran into "parents" like that at one of my favourite restaurants a week or so ago. There were three or four kids, of varying ages, but the parents came across as the type who are always just waiting to catch their kids at even the smallest infraction so they can jump all over them for it. They were constantly sniping at the kids (even though the kids were not out of control in any way); at one point Mom barks "EAT!!!" at one of them, loud enough that it made me jump and seriously consider dumping the rest of my meal over her head.

I didn't know whether to say anything, or whether that would just make things worse, even as I was leaving. What I wanted to say was, "You know, you two have lovely kids. What a shame that what I'll remember most about your family is you pair of a$$holes."

When I was ready to pay, I finally had had enough and walked to another area of the dining room, to sit quietly at an empty booth and wait for the server to take my debit card. She came past, on her way to another table, and I apologized and explained why I had moved. She rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah, aren't they rude??"

Some people shouldn't raise crabgrass, never mind kids.

[Bloodsoul]

I am half asleep and am now picturing Superman balling up coins.

[ShootMePlease]

She definitely went overboard, as he certainly meant no malice, but I'm glad she is teaching him appropriate manners. So many kids are rude and disrespectful anymore. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I deal with well behaved and polite kids.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This is a lesson in manners you teach the child when he's big enough to hand money over the counter to the cashier. Not when he's not tall enough. And you certainly don't take away the candy bar after it's been paid for and put the child in time out.