Parental error at the state fair

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Mother to crying child: "If you don't stop crying, I'm going to tell that policeman on you!"

Policeman in question was heading off someplace on one of those golf cart thing-a-ma-jigs they use to get around Wisconsin State Fair Park.

This I observed while snacking on my cinnamon-and-sugar dusted mini-doughnuts after having watched piglets and baby billy goats running in a circle in pursuit of cheez doodles.

[Cat]

I cannot wait til we get some fairs here!!! (Big E!!!!!!!!!!)


But yeah, sucky parent.

[Nyx]

I've had parents tell their kids I was going to punish them if they didn't behave before. Kinda annoying really.

I cannot wait til we get some fairs here!!!

Me either, I never get to go; to expensive.

[joe hx]

sounds pretty much like an extension of "behave or i'll tell daddy/grandma/etc"

been used forever. heck, i remember stories my grandma told me that her mother used the line "or i'll tell daddy" and that's back in the 30s and 40s.

[LillFilly]

My coworker saw a woman tell her little boy that if he didn't behave 'that policeman is going to shoot you!'

My coworker 'laid down the law' for her

[bainsidhe]

Many moons ago, I remember reading about a similar event. Except in this case it happened in an airport (pre-9/11) and mummy dearest told her child that if he didn't behave, the scary 'ol businessman minding his own business will take him away and he'll never see mommy again. Needless to say, this was a horrific threat to a child and the kid was screaming and completely terrified of this man. Security arrived, rightfully concerned, and began questioning/accusing the man. Which led to more screaming and trembling in terror. Eventually, the businessman took a later flight, because the kid was terrified and would've been traumatized by sharing a flight with the innocent businessman. Yep, classy parenting indeed.

[fireheart]

A bit off-topic Irv, but I loved the mental image of piglets running around in circles in pusuit of cheezy snacks

Our state fair (also known as the Royal adelaide show) is coming up soon as well. I'll be enjoying the kitties! (and yes, I'll bring pics)

[MrSunshineState]

I don't really see that as sucky parenting. Seems like a good idea actually.

[blas]

Irv...you were at the state fair....not eating cheesecurds and drinking beer?

How dare you.

[crazylegs]

I don't really see that as sucky parenting. Seems like a good idea actually.

Inducing fear of the police to a young child certainly isn't. What happens when (and it'll happen one day) the child is seperated from it's mother. The child won't go to the police because they're scared of them, then who does the child go to...? Part of my job involves teaching kids what to do if they get lost and the thing I tell them to do first (as all kids are taught) is see if there's a member of the emergency services about. Who is out more than anyone else? Who has the resources to be able to check where the mother lives? Making said child scared of the police is a very bad idea indeed.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Irv...you were at the state fair....not eating cheesecurds and drinking beer?

How dare you.

I took care of the drinking beer part. It wouldn't be state fair if I didn't.

The doughnuts were to cleanse the palate.

[Sheldonrs]

...piglets and baby billy goats running in a circle in pursuit of cheez doodles.

Throw in a some ugly pants and you could be talking about customers in Walmart.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I actually used to date a cop, and I was at ground zero one afternoon when this happened to him,where we were eating lunch in a restaurant. He was in uniform. This kid was evidently fussing about something, and Mom Of The Year told her kid that if he didn't straighten up, "that policeman right there is going to arrest you."

I was like and "Officer L" was like : He just gave her the stink eye over his shoulder while I sat there and probably looked as awkward as I felt.

I mean, jeeze, first off, the man's trying to enjoy his lunch hour, can he not just sit there without being sucked into some idiot's dysfunctional family drama?

And secondly, like (I think) Crazylegs said, wouldn't you rather your kid NOT be scared of cops, in case they run into trouble sometime I need to look for a cop for help?

Officer L said that shit happened to him all the time and it just flat out disgusted him.

Just stupid.

[Amanita]

Count me in as another who is disgusted by parents who use police and medical professionals to frighten children into obedience.

As others have said, what happens when the kid needs a police officer's assistance? And don't get me started on parents who do that crap to medical professionals- saying shit like "If you don't behave, that mean nurse is going to give you a shot!" or something like that. Way to make kids afraid of going to the doctor. I've heard of medical types and law enforcement officers giving the smackdown to parents like these, and I say kudos to them.

As for the lady at the airport who used some poor innocent businessman to terrorize her child, I would be fucking ripshit if some cow tried that on me. I admit- I don't dress conventially a lot of the time, and some of the outfits I make for myself are often mistaken for religious vestments. So I might be a prime target for this type of parental idiocy. In that case, I might be the one to get security, saying that the offending parent is harrassing me, by telling her child that I am going to do terrible things to them, and now the poor kid is freaking out for no reason.
And no, I would NOT be willing to take a later flight and miss my connection because of some cow's parenting fail. Mommy dearest should have been the one made to miss her flight- she is the one who started it after all.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Inducing fear of the police to a young child certainly isn't. What happens when (and it'll happen one day) the child is seperated from it's mother. The child won't go to the police because they're scared of them, then who does the child go to...? Part of my job involves teaching kids what to do if they get lost and the thing I tell them to do first (as all kids are taught) is see if there's a member of the emergency services about. Who is out more than anyone else? Who has the resources to be able to check where the mother lives? Making said child scared of the police is a very bad idea indeed.

Besides, what with the mayor of Milwaukee being beaten with a metal pipe as he was leaving the state fair last night, I think the police have better things to do than to tell some kid to quit crying.