I'll admit I could have handled this better, but this still bugs me.
I took the family to Chuck E. Cheese's last night to celebrate the end of the school year. Since it was a Thrusday night, it wasn't crowded, and I was actually enjoying myself and in a good mood.
Then it happened. A boy who was probably 5-6 years old climbed up on a game machine I was standing next to. I was with my kids and already in 'parent mode' so I tapped his shoulder to get his attention and told him to get down.
The boy's father was immediately in my face, angrily asking, "Why are you touching my kid?"
OK, that's a legitimate question. So I replied that I had just tapped his shoulder to get his attention and told him to get down. I also said that I was worried about him getting hurt.
Then came the kicker. He asked, "Would have to pay a dime?"
Not sure I'd heard him correctly, I said, "Excuse me?"
He asked, "Would you have to pay a dime if he got hurt?"
I said, "No, but I'd feel really bad about it." and walked away.
So maybe I shouldn't have tapped the kid's shoulder. Maybe I should have turned away and let him get hurt. Probably I should have notified an employee instead of acting.
Still, what the hell does financial responsibility have to do with not wanting a little kid to get hurt?
I took the family to Chuck E. Cheese's last night to celebrate the end of the school year. Since it was a Thrusday night, it wasn't crowded, and I was actually enjoying myself and in a good mood.
Then it happened. A boy who was probably 5-6 years old climbed up on a game machine I was standing next to. I was with my kids and already in 'parent mode' so I tapped his shoulder to get his attention and told him to get down.
The boy's father was immediately in my face, angrily asking, "Why are you touching my kid?"
OK, that's a legitimate question. So I replied that I had just tapped his shoulder to get his attention and told him to get down. I also said that I was worried about him getting hurt.
Then came the kicker. He asked, "Would have to pay a dime?"
Not sure I'd heard him correctly, I said, "Excuse me?"
He asked, "Would you have to pay a dime if he got hurt?"
I said, "No, but I'd feel really bad about it." and walked away.
So maybe I shouldn't have tapped the kid's shoulder. Maybe I should have turned away and let him get hurt. Probably I should have notified an employee instead of acting.
Still, what the hell does financial responsibility have to do with not wanting a little kid to get hurt?
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