It’s Rug Rats Week! All new stories involving bad behaving children. But as you read, you’ll find that the source of most bad brats are bad parents. Read on…
A few years back, when I still lived with my parents, my mum and I went to the gym. I usually got there before my mum (my college was only about 10mins walk away) and so I usually just waited for her.
One day, my mum was a bit late so I decided to go in without her. As I was walking down the corridor to the changing rooms behind a woman and her 4 year old daughter, an older lady came out of the toilets ahead of us. This woman was really quite large, and the 4 year old turned to her mum and said loudly, “Mummy, why is that lady so big? Is she having a baby?”
Now that’s just embarrassing for everyone in earshot (even I went red) but it was understandable – I mean, the girl was 4 and appeared to have asked quite innocently. If it had been my child, I would have apologized profusely and told my daughter not to be so rude and not to comment on other people’s appearances.
Instead, the mother of this kid said, “No of course not, she’s just very fat”, gave the older lady a filthy look and then brushed past her. When I caught up she was standing there open-mouthed, and turned to me to ask if that had actually happened! (I think I actually apologized myself for this woman’s behavior!)
What kind of an example is that to set to your daughter? 0102-10
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow. Just…..WOW.
Gee mommy was that rude? No of course not, just very ignorant!
Wow. That is horrible.
My mom is disabled and used to all sorts of embarrassing questions from kids. Hey, she has a cool wheel chair, who wouldn’t want to check it out? Rather than lug her massive chair to wal-mart, she opts for those motorized carts. One day a little boy asked her why she was in the cart. Can’t she walk? Before mom could explain that no, she can’t walk, the boys mother turns around and says “no, lazy people use those carts so they don’t have to walk.” Thank goodness for a good sense of humor because all mom did was laugh.
Gotta love bad parents.
I remember when I was a kid I noticed a neighbor’s teeth looked, frankly, moldy they were so incredibly bad. He was a very nice man, I liked him and felt comfortable with him, so I asked him if his teeth were rotten. My mom was right there and she had a cow. She told me never to say such a thing again, apologized for me and then made me apologize, too. I still feel abashed about it but at least I know my mom did the right thing.
More recently, a few years ago, I was in a store. I have long hair, very full lips, and I’m busty, so I hardly look like a male. This particular afternoon I was wearing a pair of jeans and a men’s t-shirt, with my hair in pigtails and a bandanna that matched my shirt.
A little girl was in a cart and her mother was behind her. The store was quiet and it was me, the girl, and her mother in the aisle. The girl looked right at me and said “Mommy, is that a BOY?” And she didn’t stop there. For some reason she kept going on about how she thought I was probably male (which I can only guess was because of my casual dress.)
I stood there staring at the mother for a few moments, but she just ignored the kid. I made some mumbles and grumbles about making the kid shut it, but eventually I finished my shopping and left the aisle, even as the kid was still going on and the mother was still ignoring her.
Some people insist on being offended by other people’s weight. This is especially stupid when you consider that they’re IN A GYM.
As dumb as it already is to get mad at complete strangers because they’re overweight this person steps it up a notch by getting mad at overweight people she sees at the gym. Seriously, if you hate that they’re overweight then shouldn’t you be glad to see them at the gym? SHEESH!
I belong to a medieval reenactment group, and one day at a camping event, I was cooking in my camp, when the not-too-bright son of a woman I loathe (long story), who must have been about 12, walked into my camp without asking leave, and then *into my kitchen* and loudly asked “Your stomach is fat. Are you going to have a BAAAYBEE?”
I was shocked. And mortified. And all I could do was say tersely, “No, I am not. I have been ill.” And then I glared at him until he left. And I saw him march up to his mother and say something- it was clear that he was reporting back.
I raised my three kids in the group, and I cannot imagine them doing something so crass.
I know this is an old post, but I can’t help telling this one.
When my first child was a toddler, she was enamoured with “Pocahontas”. She watched the movie countless times, had the Barbie dolls for it, etc. I was with her waiting for a dentist’s appointment when a female Native dentist with long black hair called her name. My daughter looked stunned before joyfully exclaiming “Daddy! Pocahontas is my dentist!” Thankfully, the dentist got this a lot and found it funny.
Aw Gilles – that’s adorable. And nice that the dentist didn’t take offense.
My mother loves to tell this story…
When I was little (2-3), I asked my mom why bananas turned black, and of course she told me it was because they were becoming rotten. Well anyway, sometime later we were going grocery shopping, and decided to take the public transit bus back home. We got on, and found a couple of seats, when an elderly woman got on and proceeded to sit down across from us. Now, the place I grew up has a very small population, and when I was little it was rare to see anyone non-caucasion. So anyway, the elderly lady gets on (did I mention she was black?), and I start crying and freaking out…then in a loud voice for the entire bus to hear I turn tearfully to my mother, and say “Mommy, that woman is black! She’s rotten!” and proceeded to scream some more. My mother obviously mortified, apologized profusely to the woman, told me never to say mean things about others, or point out physical characteristics in public, and we got off at the next stop. Ironically, years later, I’m living with my dark skinned, Filipino husband, and my mother and I still have a good laugh over that one.