Have you ever felt like yelling at a stranger's misbehaving kids?

Question

What did they do that bugged you so much? Did the parents bother you worse than the brats themselves?

Answer 1

Yes. I was shopping in a grocery store and a kid took my purse out of the cart, dumped it on the floor, and ran away with my wallet. The mom was shopping with headphones on, listening to her MP3 player. I was very angry. When she saw what happened, all she said was, "Don't chase my kid!" Even though her kid had my wallet. I could have slapped them both.

Answer 2

Several times I have corrected a child in front of the parent, if the parent is not taking responsibility for the behavior of their child. Example: I was in a store and a child was banging on the piano. I went to the child in front of the parent and said "play softly or you will break the keys." I then turned to the parent and said, "From my experience in raising children, I've learned the keys can break if children pound on the piano keys". It usually solves the problem.

I have gone to parents in a grocery store and told them, "After seeing several children fall out of the cart while standing, please have your child sit down". Children have received serious injury by such a fall and the inexperienced parent may not realize how quickly this can happen.

If a child is crying in church or running up and down the asile, I go to the parent and let them know where the children's room is located where their child can be happier, find toys, and not distract the congregation.

Other: If a child is misbehaving in my home, I have the liberty to go to the child/parent and ask what is the problem? Most likely, the child is hungry, teething, sleep deprived, or sick. It is likely the parent needs to take the child home and care for the child which, after a quick assessment, I suggest. The parent is usually relieved they can go in peace.

If the child is "two" (they all behave the same at two), I distract the child with a cookie or toy.

You can talk to the child in front of the parent and ask, "What is the matter"? It will help everyone. If the child's behavior is inappropriate, I say so.

The worst possible scenerio is for the onlooker or observer of "bad behavior" to act like a child themselves. This solves nothing and only increases the miserableness of the situation.

I did yell at a mother once in a department store. She had taken her child in a stroller up the escalator and where she lost control of her hold. I was able to save the child from a nasty fall and rebuked the mother for not heeding the warning at the bottom of the escalator.

I have called parents at home to let them know their child has misbehaved. The purpose of a parent is to love, protect and train the child. Many parents need training themselves. I suggest helpful reading material or share my experiences raising children. If the parent senses that you care about their family and their children they may even open up other behaviorial problems and happily receive help.

There are very few true brats. I consider all children "a gift from the Lord" and treat them with respect and admiration. Children see the world much differently than you and I. It is a wonderful world and if you are able to enjoy it with them, you will walk away smiling.

In a "worse case scenerio", you can call for security if the situation is truly out-of-hand.

Best wishes to you.

Answer 3

Yes, just about every day. The parents do make me more angry than the kids do. They let the kids scream and scream and scream in a public place! They don't care one bit that they are disturbing the peace. If it were me, I would tell the child very harshly to stop it right then, b/c it is not acceptable behavior in a public place. And why does store management tolerate it, anyway?

I'm sorry, but a "shh shh, it's ok" is NOT going to work with a screaming child. Nor is ignoring the behavior, which is really the same as condoning it. As for babies, this is what the pacifier was invented for. Then the child should be checked at the next available moment to see if it is soiled or ill.

Answer 4

Yess!!! there are kids near our home who are out all hours of the day and night and they make such a racket it is unbelievable! They ride four wheelers all the time, and they are not even allowed in the city. And yes, the parents bother us much more than the kids. I know it's clique, but like my mom said: The Apple Never Falls Far From the tree. These misbehaving kids had to have learned it somewhere. Sadly, there isnt really anything you can do about it.

Answer 5

Yes, I have felt like yelling at the children, but they parents are worse. The little boy was wanting something his mother told him he couldn't have. He commenced to put it in the cart anyway and tell her that he hated her. She bought that shyt for him. Whatta dumb azz. If that was my son, he would've had some problems on his hands, not a new item from the store that I told him he couldn't have in the first place. The Momma needed her azz beat too. I mean, who's the adult. I'll be John Brown if my son demands that I buy him something with the money I had to work for. When I buy him thing, I let him know about how many hours I had to work to purchase his things. If they know the struggle, they may appreciate the sacrifice parents make.

Answer 6

No! Ok.,let's try that again...NO!!!
If you ever feel the need to yell at any one, you are out of order. Anger and wrath are not the answer. This is why we have wars, and our wars have wars: everyone wants to yell, shout, and "call foul" about everything. Stop, take a moment... what's the solution? Work it out. Talk to the parents. Talk to the kids! How come I can get along with all the kids of every backround, all over the world? Because i smile, look'em right in the eye and TALK to them. What a concept!

Answer 7

I haven't raised my voice at someone else's kids, but we were in a restaurant one time and these 2 little girls were running all over the place. Their parents were too busy talking and laughing to pay attention. The girls were grabbing steak knives off of plates, running behind the bar, and even ran into the kitchen. They bumped in to other customers and I was afraid someone would get hurt. I lovingly spoke to the children, took them by the hand and walked them back to their table. Their parents were outraged and proceeded to make a scene. (As if their kids tearing up the joint wasn't enough of one.) I ended the conversation by listing everything the children had done and why I brought them to the table. Then I told them that in that situation, I only had 2 choices: to do what I did, or to call the police and report them for child endangerment. They apologized and kept their jungle-kids at the table with them for the remainder of dinner.

I always try to remind myself that wild kids are often the by-products of poor parenting. It's not the little ones' fault.

Answer 8

YES!!! I love kids (I wouldn't work in a daycare if I didn't), but I simply can't stand the ones that don't behave.

It's not so much that I'm angry with them, but I'm frustrated and sad for them. They obviously haven't been taught very good manners and probably aren't getting much attention. When I see them misbehaving, I try and correct them as nicely as possible. If the parents get angry (Which a few of them have. How DARE I tell their child to stop throwing rocks at passersby!?), then so be it. Eventually, these kids have to learn some manners.

Answer 9

Yes, all the time! I work in a hospital, and we have kids running around out of control on the floor and screaming and everything else. I'm not on a pediatrics ward, people...there are patients trying to rest and recover. So when I go to ask the parents to control their children or remove them from the floor, half the time they don't even do anything about it. They just let them run wild even more, and then I have to ask them to leave, and if they refuse to leave, then I have to call security, and it becomes this HUGE issue when they could have just disciplined their children in the first place. Let alone in public places. I don't even GO to the mall anymore, it's that bad. Screaming brats everywhere...What happened to discipline???

Thank you for listening to me rant. I'm done now. :)

Answer 10

once or twice a year me and my child are able to go to the movies. It never fails that there are little kids running around in the theater and the parents are just sitting there not trying to stop them! The few times a year I am able to get out and enjoy myself is ruined by brats! I do say something to the kids though, I'll tell them to sit down and be quiet or I'll spank their butts. That usually only works for a few minutes.

Answer 11

Yes. They were running around in a restaurant, jumping on chairs, being really loud. It was aggravating. What can you do other than to talk to the manager of the restaurant?

Confronting the parents is tempting, but could result in an unpleasant situation.

If I am around kids and don't see parents closeby, and the kids are acting up, I will talk to the kids in an age-appropriate fashion.