The Rantings of an Overly Caffeinated Mother

Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve ranted, right? Maybe, kind of sort of a while? At any rate, I’ve felt one coming on all week and I should warn you, it’s about to go down. 

My youngest daughter and I get out and about everyday.  For one thing, we walk at the mall, at least until the weather gets nice enough to return to one of our beloved trails or parks.  We also grocery shop each day, because my little mind thinks I have to have the freshest produce and meats when cooking supper.  Then there are the trips to Starbucks, bookstores, back to Starbucks, etc.

Suffice to say, we see a lot of what goes on out in public and it’s not always pretty.  Frankly, unlike my daughter, I don’t care about the fashion mistakes - but, be warned, if you’re out and about in head to toe denim, she’s looking for you.  What people do with their hair or don’t do with their hair is their business.  Blue hair? Tattoos?  Piercings?  Whatever. The way I see it, some people simply express themselves differently than others - I’d never try to clamp down on their expression any more than I’d want anyone telling me that I wear too many bracelets.  My arms are my own business and their heads are theirs.

What irks me, angers me, saddens me, and makes me wish there was a Justice League comprised of super heroes who looked after little people is parents/grandparents/guardians/whatever who act like jerks to their children.  Steph and I saw two little boys with their dad in Kroger a few nights ago. The little boys (who both looked kind of like Beaver Cleaver in the early days) were laughing and talking, like any normal kids do.  The dad turns to the taller little boy….grabs him by the hair and says, “Shut up!”  The kid yelps in pain and surprise, I’d imagine.  This, of course, just gets him in more trouble.   The words, “My God!” came spilling out of my mouth and I gave the man such a glare, he cowered toward his cart.

Our entire night was ruined after that.  Just the thought of what some kids have to live with breaks my heart.  It is never, never, never okay to lay your hands on a child (or anyone for that matter!) like that.  People wonder why so many kids are violent and angry - they learn it from their parents.  Why humiliate a child in public like that?  Why pull hair like a 7 year old?!  Why can adults not act like adults?

Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better? - Jane Nelson

The very same day, we’re in the mall’s public restroom and there’s a lady with a 3 or 4 month old baby at the fold down changing table.  The baby’s crying, so the mother reaches into her purse for something - she pulls out her key chain that’s full of keys, but it falls on the floor.  She bends over, picks them up and hands them to the baby. He, of course, puts them in his mouth.  Clean keys would have been gross enough, but HELLO, they had just fallen on a public restroom’s floor!  Do some people have bat#&$! for brains?

Yesterday, again in Kroger, we see a well-dressed lady with an adorable little boy about 3 and a little girl around 7 who looks like a baby Queen Latifah (adorable!).  The little girl is telling the mother about her school day.  The mom doesn’t even listen to a thing the little girl says….she just rolls her eyes and says, “I’m trying to shop.”  The little boy tells her he has to use the restroom and the mom responds with, “If you say that again, I’m going to smack your face.”

What’s up with people any more?!  Fortunately these incidents are few and far between, but in the name of all that’s right, they shouldn’t happen at all.

Children are a blessing - a beautiful, beautiful blessing.  Sometimes, like all blessings, they may not seem that way at the time - but they’re always a blessing!  I just don’t get how anyone could ever mistreat or disrespect a child.  I don’t know what kind of a man can live with himself after he has grabbed a little boy by the hair.  I don’t know how a mom can expect her child to ever listen to her when she never listens to the child.  I don’t know how a parent can threaten to smack someone who barely comes up above her knees!

I’m posting this rant in the hopes that if any parents read this they’ll think a little bit about how they treat their children.  The instances we witnessed this week were extreme - I honestly don’t know what’s happened to everyone this week! But parents not taking the time to listen to their children is something that happens everywhere, everyday.  If it’s important enough for the child to talk about it, it should be important enough for a parent to listen to.

And hitting, threatening to hit, pulling hair?!  Pretty classy.

Maybe we should all treat our children the way we want them to one day treat us.  Whether we realize it or not, I think we pretty much do.