People that can't control their children and lack of respect in public, by the public

[Guest WyattEarp]

I'm grocery shopping tonight at Kroger, and I'm going down the frozen isle look for pizza, and I hear a weird noise, I turn around and see 2 kids running while pushing the miniature grocery carts right at me. One of the kids (a girl, probably about 7 or 8 and definitely old enough to know better) slams her cart into the back of my left ankle (I was wearing sandals by the way, not tennis shoes) before I had time to move out of the way. The kid gave me a look then took off towards the end of the aisle towards what appears to be their father. I looked at my foot for a second, no broken skin or blood, but a decent red spot and a bit painful, so I walk down the aisle to say something to the dad, and when I do he just walks right on by and doesn't say a word to me, doesn't acknowledge me, doesn't apologize for his children's behavior, or anything. After a minute or two of trying to talk to the guy and getting no answer at all, it was clear the guy was not going to address the issue, I finally just walked away and was gonna let it go, until the same thing almost happened again on the other side of the store ten minutes later as I was looking for salsa.

It was clear this "father" (if you can call him that ) didn't know how to control his kids, and has no desire to teach them how to behave in public so I went and told the store manager showed him the red spot on my foot, and explained that it almost just happened again and they made the guy leave all of his groceries in the cart and made him and his kids leave and the father was told not to bring the kids back in the store. I watched with amusement from a couple aisles down from the door, (and the father was clearly looking around for me) as he was escorted to the parking lot. I only feel sorry for the stocker who now has to go put all that stuff back on the shelf. The kids and the father can go hungry tonight for acting like idiots in public.

Is it me or are more and more people just becoming downright rude and inconsiderate of others? Or maybe I'm way out of line here and it's my fault cause I went to the grocery store at 6:30 pm?

The old me, would have started a fight, but I'm 31 now, and there's no point in acting like I'm 17, and I also have a carry permit privilege to preserve (and no I wasn't carrying tonight in case anyone's wondering) so I used my brain and decided not to escalate it with the dad after he made it clear he wasn't going to answer me or address his kids behavior. The ankle is fine, still red and a bit sore but nothing some ice and a few tylenol won't fix, not the end of the world, but clearly that's not the point.

Aside from informing the store manager, I don't think there was really anything else I could have done, maybe called the police...but I don't think that was appropriate for this situation, but somehow the father needs to be held accountable for his kids behavior if he's not going to address it. I'd really hate to see how these kids behave 5 years down the road if this keeps up.

Stuff like this, makes me long to move up into the mountains somewhere away from people and the daily practice and display of pre-meditated stupidity in our society.

Where have the days of courtesy and respect gone? Why can't parents control their kids? Why even take them to the store in the first place if you know they will behave like this and you know you can't/won't control them? If I'd have pulled a stunt like the kids with the mini-carts did, I'd have received the rawhide of my fathers leather belt across my backside right there in the store with everyone watching and then I'd have been grounded for a week, with no nintendo or tv (and it did happen a few times when I was growing up.... dad didn't put up with no ****, you either did things his way, or you paid a heavy price).

I also make it a point when I go into a grocery store to count the # of people who are halfway down the aisle with their cart right in middle blocking everyone else, and they're talking on their cell phone, oblivious to everyone else, why they talk about whatever to whoever. Today I counted 7 people standing in the middle of different aisles, their cart out far enough no one else in the aisle could go around, talking on the phone about something not related to the groceries they were shopping for (1 was about Sally and Danny getting a divorce, another had to pick up Trish from cheerleading practice in an hour, 1 had to pick up William from football practice on her way home, 1 was gonna take a long bath and drink a glass of wine when she got home, 1 was talking about taking the dog to the vet in a few days) and i can't recall what the other 2 were talking about because all I wanted to do was get my groceries and go home, and 3 people who were on the phone were blocking a shelf that had a product I was in search of. It never fails to happen at least 2 or 3 times I go.

I think I'm gonna have to shift my grocery shopping habits to either really really late at night, or very very early in the morning, because it's apparent that if you go to the store at peak times (4:30-7:00 pm) on a week night or from 8 - 8 pm on the weekends, the increased chances of witnessing stupidity is about 99.9999999% guaranteed.

and now I'm going to drink an ice cold bud light and relax.

[Gun Smith]

So, now you got me wondering which Kroger in the boro. No matter really, I can see this happening at any of them. The only problem I have going out in public is all the people. And, it ain't getting any better.

[BrasilNuts]

I don't know what your problem is, it was obviously all your fault for being in the way.Seriously, if my child had been guilty of hitting you with that cart I would have been VERY embarassed and.... God I don't know what I would have given for a punishment, but they would still remember it when they were 30.

[Guest lostpass]

ah, it has always been thus. You think "I'd never let my kids get away with this and my parents wouldn't have stood for it!" and you'll be right. But, here's the rub, this has been going on since the olden days. Read Tom Sawyer sometime and you'll find disrespectful kids.

The truth is that most parents would go ballistic on their kids for this behavior, I know I would.

[Guest WyattEarp]

So, now you got me wondering which Kroger in the boro. No matter really, I can see this happening at any of them. The only problem I have going out in public is all the people. And, it ain't getting any better.

Kroger in Spring Hill off Port Royal Rd (i've been housesitting and catsitting for the parents this summer.)

I don't know what your problem is, it was obviously all your fault for being in the way.Seriously, if my child had been guilty of hitting you with that cart I would have been VERY embarassed and.... God I don't know what I would have given for a punishment, but they would still remember it when they were 30.

damn it, i knew it was somehow all my fault. It's always MY fault, no matter what it is, just because it's me. lol...j/k.

[Chadastrophic]

I read this and all I got was you have crappy taste in beer.

Seriously though, I think it's friggin' awesome they made him leave.

[Mark@Sea]

You want to know what those kids will be like in a few years? Just look at what's happening in London tonight.

[Guest WyattEarp]

You want to know what those kids will be like in a few years? Just look at what's happening in London tonight.

good grief, that's the first I've heard of all that business

[Links2k]

I hate when these things happen. I can proudly say that would never happen if I were around with my children. My brats are polite to a fault sometimes. What I don't like is when people compliment me on my kids behavior as if it's abnormal. Looks like parenting is becoming a lost art.

[Chucktshoes]

What I don't like is when people compliment me on my kids behavior as if it's abnormal. Looks like parenting is becoming a lost art.

I hate to say it, but in my experiences in this town, it is abnormal. I pray my child will be equally abnormal.

[Guest Drewsett]

is about 99.9999999% guaranteed.

...they made the guy leave all of his groceries in the cart and made him and his kids leave and the father was told not to bring the kids back in the store...Is it me or are more and more people just becoming downright rude and inconsiderate of others...I'd really hate to see how these kids behave 5 years down the road if this keeps up...Stuff like this, makes me long to move up into the mountains somewhere away from people and the daily practice and display of pre-meditated stupidity in our society.Where have the days of courtesy and respect gone? Why can't parents control their kids? Why even take them to the store in the first place if you know they will behave like this and you know you can't/won't control them?

I agree with Chadastrophic, it was awesome they made him leave.

WyattEarp, it isn't just you; I agree. It DOES seem that the proverbial good old days of manners and general courtesy are gone, never to return, at least not in a majority of the population. IMHO, it is due to the long, slow, apathetic decline of parenting skill and the rise of a country where a massive majority is urban and a significant portion of that majority is poor. The much higher birth rates observed in the group comprised of the urban poor ensure a steady stream of new members. Contrary to popular belief, it is very difficult to escape this rung of the socioeconomic ladder. Times of financial hardship, such as the current recession, only serve to make it more difficult to climb. And that is how we get to ....

You want to know what those kids will be like in a few years? Just look at what's happening in London tonight.

What's happening in London is an entire generation that knows only entitlements, living in a country that for centuries was a monarchy, where government protected and provided for its people, has decided that they are rather peeved at the state of affairs. No matter what the government does, things seem to get worse, their options for careers diminish and their discontent increases. Show me an angry mob of young people and I'll show you people who feel like they have no options. Couple that with the entitlement and you get looting. Couple that with the internet and you get snatch mobs...flash mobs that take whatever they can get their hands on, using numbers to keep from being caught. Couple that with police who are unarmed except for billy clubs (generally), and...well, go turn on the BBC, and you can see for yourself.

Scary, eh?

When considering this, it gives one an entirely new perspective on the specter of government mandated healthcare that includes free birth control and low cost abortions.

But I digress...there will always be people who are just bad parents, regardless of socioeconomic class. I came from what an economist would call the upper middle class, and my sister's first child is nearly impossible in public. Her second is much better behaved. Some people get better with experience. I hope I am one of the latter, when the time comes.

[daddyo]

It's not the child's fault. It IS the parent's fault for not teaching them how to respect others. This dad clearly had not been taught himself, or the lesson didn't stick.

Too many parents are trying to be their kids' buddies and not parenting.

Good for you for saying something to both the dad and the manager. He deserved to be given the boot.

[Guest fastbilly1]

i agree with your being offended, children acting this way in public is a pet peeve of mine. granted it is the parents fault and as soon as those children get a little older the father will likely get a taste of his own medicine. "parents" of this sort will reap what they sow soon enough. kudos to you for handling the issue by letting the store manager handle and i am amazed the store manager would dare lose a customer by making the man and children leave the store. the sad part is IMHO that the evictees will not see that they brought it upon themselves.

stepping down off my soapbox now

[Guest clownsdd]

What's happening in London is.........along the same lines of Rodney King here 'cept London LEO shot the guy.

Kudo's to the Kroger manager.

[Paladin132]

IMO this is tied with the nonsense from the bus in Philadelphia. The man they were after had no business telling another passenger that little away was child abuse. When I was very young my dad spanked me and a woman threatened him with it and i chuckle today about his response - he offered to let them take the spanking for me.

There is a difference in child abuse and a beating compared to a whipping and discipline. Today's children, and yesterday's generation as far as that goes, all have their hands out not asking but demanding things go their way (see London, Greece, and a anti tuition hike in California). Couple that with never being corrected, sometimes with some harsh measures, and you are stuck with generations that are lost and causing huge problems that are getting worse through intervention.

You raise your kids your way, leave me the Hades alone.

[Guest coldblackwind]

Ha, whats funny is I read that whole thing and didn't catch a location, but when I got to the end I thought to myselft "this guy lives in murfreesboro". Sure enough, scrolled back up and there it is! I love tn, but I work in murfreesboro and its one of the rudest towns I've ever seen. I'm from NY originally so thats saying a lot! I actually go to NY about once a year and after murfreesboro all I can think is, my god these people can actually drive! There, thats a turn signal, haven't seen one of them in months! I don't know what it is about that town but you go one town in any direction and things improve immensely for some reason. Murfreesboro just seems to be a funnel for stupidity, and thats not a blanket statement about everyone living there because I know quite a few good people in murfreesboro, but overall most of the stupid in TN seems drawn there.

[gregintenn]

You certainly handled it well. That is a symptom of our current entitlement mentality. Everyone wants everything. and they want it now! They don't give a cr@p about anyone else.

[peejman]

Lots of truth here. And I'm sure the OP already knows the answers to all his questions. People are far too self-centered. Heaven forbid they drag themselves away from facebook long enough to pay attention to their kids. Most of the "acting out" is simply a plea for attention.

My wife and I try very hard to raise my boys to be decent human beings, as there seems to be a shortage of those these days. My Dad (or Mom for that matter) also would've dropped my drawers and whipped me right there in the isle. Trouble is, I'd go to jail if I did that to my kid(s).

My 3 yr old has picked up on some sassy back-talk lately. It's all I can do to control my temper when he does that.

... and yes, kudos to the store manager. I'm surprised he/she did that. I wouldn't have thought to complain to the manager.

[Guest nicemac]

Why can't parents control their kids?

Can't? Wrong question. They could. They choose not to control them. Probably because some liberal professor taught them that doing so will harm the child's self-esteem or stifle their inner whatever…

[FUJIMO]

spare the rod, spoil the child. IT STILL HOLDS TRUE, lol.

I have to say having a HCP really is the ONLY thing that keeps my temperment. Otherwise I am sure I would have exploded on someone by now. GOOSFRABA......GOOSFRABA.......

[Andyshowfan]

It's not the child's fault. It IS the parent's fault for not teaching them how to respect others. This dad clearly had not been taught himself, or the lesson didn't stick.

Too many parents are trying to be their kids' buddies and not parenting.

Good for you for saying something to both the dad and the manager. He deserved to be given the boot.

+1 what he said. I agree parents are not parents any longer. My best friend is a 7th grade teacher and he states the same thing on a daily basis. Too many parents are too lazy and/or caught up with themselves they expect the teachers, afterschool workers or anyone other than themselves to be the authority so that they can be the "cool" parental figure. I would have been falling all over myself apoligizing to you and in the meanwhile busting my kid's a** (which by the way is still legal in TN)

[Guest Zombie-Hunter]

‪Kid slaps his mother on live tv dr. phil‬‏ - YouTube

[Guest nicemac]

I am a little surprised that a store manager would kick a customer out of their store based on an accusation from another customer (not doubting your story whatsoever).

[Caster]

Solomon explained how to deal with these things. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child;but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. Now, if you look at the father... When I WAS A child, I spake as A child, I understood as A child, I thought as A child: but WHEN I became A man, I put away childish things. Obviously he has not put away his own childish behavior and therefore must be treated as a child himself. SO, it seems to me that you have a divine mandate to take a stick to this guy and impart on him and level of understanding.

[Guest Anadais]

This never would have happened with my son. Random people approach me in public to tell me how well behaved my son is and what impeccable manners he has. If he acted like those children he would had to go pick a switch… that simple.

Honestly, I think a big problem with kids now isn’t really the kids, it is the parents. Parents have stopped teaching their children basic manners (yes ma’am, no sir, please/thank you.. which if I didn’t say, I would get a good smack upside the head) and parents have stopped seriously punishing their kids.

Now I don’t want this to turn into an argument about spanking, but “time out” in a room full of toys isn’t punishment. Grounding a kid so they can sit around the house and do jack-squat is a vacation, not a punishment. Having your kid go pick a switch or busting that rear with your leather work belt… that is punishment. A mouth full of soap and Tabasco sauce… that is punishment. Cleaning my house from top to bottom… that is punishment. Plain and Simple.

This is the same system my parents used on me and I turned out just fine.