And happy day to all you other dads out there too! Hope you had a good one!
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We had a nice bbq at my house today to celebrate. My parents were there, along with Hub's dad, sister, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. All in all, it was a nice day. But it made me wonder: are all parents blind to the terror that their own child is?
All day long, our niece (3 years old, almost 4) was a brat. I mean, a serious brat. She whined, cried, complained, pouted, and sulked. Examples: My dog is not the best-trained dog in the world, but he is a sweetie. Anytime he came near her, she cried that he knocked her down. Even if she was still standing. She would hold out her stuffed animal and call him over and put the stuffed animal in his mouth, and then when he bit it, she would cry and say how bad he was. She and I were playing catch, but then decided that because when she missed the ball, the dog would go after it (he is part retriever, its in his blood to chase and retrieve) that the ball should be put in the house and no one could use it because the dog was bad. She complained about Princess as well - that she wasn't sitting at the little Dora patio set to eat dinner (when we hadn't even started cooking yet) and she was bad. That she wouldn't sit with her when she wanted her to. That she wouldn't read with her. Generally, anything that didn't go this kid's way, she pouted and complained and was just downright obnoxious. My mom and I were shooting each other looks all day, amazed at how spoiled and rotten this kid was and that her parents did not seem to notice.
Well, later in the evening, I was talking with my SIL about the routines that kids get into and how important they are to them. So SIL tells me that the other day they picked up Brat at daycare and brought her to the mall for dinner, rather than home like usual. And Brat was misbehaving and they couldn't figure out why. Then they realized that taking her out for dinner was outside of her routine, and that must have been why. And as SIL is telling me this story, she says, "So Brat was being bad...well, you know, Brat is never really bad, she was just bad for her."
And it made me realize that maybe those annoying parents in stores and restaurants who let their kids run wild and don't even seem to react...maybe they just don't realize how bad their kids are? Because I am telling you, if my kid acted like Brat did today, I would be apologizing for her behavior. They didn't even seem to notice.
Hub is on vacation this week and we are talking about going down the shore one day. His sister wants to join us. Luckily, Brat is in daycare so she wouldn't be joining us too. How sad that a 3 year old could ruin your day like that.
21 comments:
It sounds like a nice family gathering, with the exception of Brat. ;) LOL. Yeah, I don't get it when I see a kid basically acting like how you describe and his/her parents appearing oblivious to it.
LOL!!! that is one nasty little kid! can you imagine her being a teenager? *shudder*
oh god i HATE kids like that and i HATE parents who don't notice.. it's odd actually, I always watch Helene like a HAWK (sometimes i think perhaps i am too strict) and the only time she is *allowed* to misbehave is with me, at home, with no one else around...
hope your time on the beach works out better...
I see my kid becoming the BRAT. And it's not that I don't watch him, it's not that I don't notice... it's that I have no idea what to do about it. He has always been a handful, since he could crawl he hasn't been still since. He goes and goes and goes. Now he's getting mouthy and doesn't notice any sort of talk or punishment. Obviously, we'll keep trying until we find something that works and his logic is better, but for the moment it SUCKS.
And it's surprisingly easy for a three year old to ruin a day, but I thought it was only the Mother's day they ruined. It really sucks that they let her ruin EVERYONE'S day. If all else fails, just leave.
Ohh I hope I am not a parent like that!
Just step up and correct the child if the parent won't. If they get offended, tough. They should have been doing their job.
great pic! :) Nice tribute to Dad!
awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww daddy pic how cute! :)
Brat is the reason why I don't have kids - knowing my luck, I'd get the worst kid ever. No, I ain't rolling them dice :op
I usually see parents hitting their child in public. It's really embarrassing and angers me.
I think dinners at malls are treat! I always fit a survery though. I got $5 last time in NJ for advising on rice ads!
I saw a lady in the store spank her kid FINALLY, and another customer walked up and thanked her. That kid was being such a brat. My mom would have dusted my butt a long time before he got it, but it was nice to see a parent actually discipline their kid for once.
With some of the children that come in our office, sometimes mandatory sterilization doesn't seem like such a bad idea! ;P
My little one, when that age, was "the brat" as well. We didn't take him many places, as a result of him being so "behaviorally challenged". What a stress! Ours wasn't due to being spoiled, was because of his attention deficit! Thank goodness he (and we) got the help we needed! How different life is now!
And that pic was really sweet!
It sounds like a nice day. It also sounds like maybe your niece hears the word "bad" alot!!! LOL.
Some kids need to learn the consequences of thier behavior. Easier said than done but constistancy is the key word.
My friend has a nephew(on her husband's side that is sooo bad he got kicked ut of elementary school when he was 6. The redneck mom doesn't get it. My friend told her that her son was not wlecome in her house. And the redneck mom still doesn't understand why.
Think we know what the problem here is?
Wow dad looks young!
Have a wonderful day at the shore, and don't forget to ask your SIL how that new style of non-discipline is working out for her? Oh wait, perhpas that will not make the day nicer...so plan that chat for the drive home.
Yep, total brat. I often worry that I'll end up being one of those parents, but not know it. KWIM?
Have fun if you go to the shore though!!!!
I have one of those brats too!
What an excellent photo! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Peace..............
ps - you've been tagged!
The photo is adorable.
The brat sounds a bit spoiled.
To answer your question, I think it's called denial.
My landlords daughter who is three is the cutest kid, but she is the biggest bratt. They let her do ANYTHING. I thought of her when you were talking about your niece and your dog. Our dog who is 2 is fairly well behaved. But she has a lot of energy and is hyper. She is wonderful with kids, but its a known fact if you run a dog will want to run with you. So the kid runs and Belle runs with her, and then she screams the dog is chasing me and starts crying. Or she will just start flicking Belle on the snout really fast with her hands. Belle doesnt bite, but when she gets really excited she sometimes "nibbles" and then the kid is all "She bit me" it drives me nuts. Her mom just sits there and laughs. Control your child, tell her not to hit my dog in the face. lol
That picture is awesome! I love the old school photos!
Enjoy your vacation week!
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