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This is not quite as good as my “I need a cape” thread, but I like it. Since then I have been emboldened to change the world one bad person at a time.
I was back at my favorite McDonalds…I don’t know why, I think it has something to do with the $50 gift card they gave me. I was with my wife, we were shopping and wanted a snack. There were two lines leading to the counter. We were in the right line, in the line to our left was a woman with a child. She looked about 30ish, with about a 5-7 year old. The kid was pitching a FIT. She wanted a toy, she wanted to go play, she wanted juice, she wanted to leave, she wanted fries, she wanted to climb up on the counter and get the toys out of the display. She was screaming at the top of her lungs every time she inhaled about what she wanted. The mom was standing there like a pole, completely oblivious to the torture of those of us within earshot. We stepped up to the counter a step ahead of her.
The 50something woman cashier at the counter gave me an apologetic look when the child degenerated from screaming what she wanted to just a glass breaking screech. She said “what can I do for you today.” I looked over at the woman and down at her child with a scornful glare. The woman looked at me with a “what, I don’t understand” look. I turned back to the cashier and said “well…since it looks to be too late for birth control, I would suggest adoption.” The cashier started laughing and had to cover her mouth with her hand.
The woman grabbed her child an pulled her in front of her and told her to shush. It did not work. She looked at me and said “She just does not listen.”
Me: Mind if I show you a trick?
Woman: (Eagerly nodding her head) Yes!
I crouched down and got myself on the kid’s eye level.
Me: Hey, stop that. You don’t hear anyone else being loud do you? This is not a place to be loud. You have to be quiet inside. (girl just stood there with a doe in headlights look). Do you like French fries?
Girl: (nods bashfully)
Me: and you like to play in the playland don’t you?
Girl: (smiles and nods bigger)
Me: because I’m pretty sure your mom is going to buy you a happy meal with some French fries, and after you eat you can go play in the playland. But, the playland is only for kids that are being good and being quiet. If you are good and quiet and eat all of your lunch, I bet your mom will let you play in the playland.
The girl looked up at her mom with a “can we PLEEEAAASSSSSEEEE” look, kind of bouncing up an down. The mom nodded and said yes. The kid stood there silently smiling while we placed our orders. Both cashiers looked at me like I was some sort of Kid Whisperer.
The woman and her kid came and sat two tables over from us. Every time the kid would start talking louder and louder she would look at me, and I would do the finger over lips shhh (without the sound). She would smile, quiet down, look at the playland, then look back at me and smile. She scarfed down her lunch and her mom let her into the playland. She came back and said thank you, it was the first quiet she had in a while.
I gave her my secrets, get on eye level, tell them what you want in a calm voice, and why. Give them something that you will take away if they are bad. Giving them rewards for behavior leads to them only doing things for rewards. Threatening to take things away has a much better result in the long run, but be prepared to follow thru.
So. After this little incident there are some Pro’s and some Con’s.
Pro: Hopefully I re-inspired the mom to be a better parent. One less nasty customer for everyone to have to deal with.
Con: The Uber parenting skill has turned my wife baby crazy. I think I may have to punch a puppy to nip this in the bud.
I was back at my favorite McDonalds…I don’t know why, I think it has something to do with the $50 gift card they gave me. I was with my wife, we were shopping and wanted a snack. There were two lines leading to the counter. We were in the right line, in the line to our left was a woman with a child. She looked about 30ish, with about a 5-7 year old. The kid was pitching a FIT. She wanted a toy, she wanted to go play, she wanted juice, she wanted to leave, she wanted fries, she wanted to climb up on the counter and get the toys out of the display. She was screaming at the top of her lungs every time she inhaled about what she wanted. The mom was standing there like a pole, completely oblivious to the torture of those of us within earshot. We stepped up to the counter a step ahead of her.
The 50something woman cashier at the counter gave me an apologetic look when the child degenerated from screaming what she wanted to just a glass breaking screech. She said “what can I do for you today.” I looked over at the woman and down at her child with a scornful glare. The woman looked at me with a “what, I don’t understand” look. I turned back to the cashier and said “well…since it looks to be too late for birth control, I would suggest adoption.” The cashier started laughing and had to cover her mouth with her hand.
The woman grabbed her child an pulled her in front of her and told her to shush. It did not work. She looked at me and said “She just does not listen.”
Me: Mind if I show you a trick?
Woman: (Eagerly nodding her head) Yes!
I crouched down and got myself on the kid’s eye level.
Me: Hey, stop that. You don’t hear anyone else being loud do you? This is not a place to be loud. You have to be quiet inside. (girl just stood there with a doe in headlights look). Do you like French fries?
Girl: (nods bashfully)
Me: and you like to play in the playland don’t you?
Girl: (smiles and nods bigger)
Me: because I’m pretty sure your mom is going to buy you a happy meal with some French fries, and after you eat you can go play in the playland. But, the playland is only for kids that are being good and being quiet. If you are good and quiet and eat all of your lunch, I bet your mom will let you play in the playland.
The girl looked up at her mom with a “can we PLEEEAAASSSSSEEEE” look, kind of bouncing up an down. The mom nodded and said yes. The kid stood there silently smiling while we placed our orders. Both cashiers looked at me like I was some sort of Kid Whisperer.
The woman and her kid came and sat two tables over from us. Every time the kid would start talking louder and louder she would look at me, and I would do the finger over lips shhh (without the sound). She would smile, quiet down, look at the playland, then look back at me and smile. She scarfed down her lunch and her mom let her into the playland. She came back and said thank you, it was the first quiet she had in a while.
I gave her my secrets, get on eye level, tell them what you want in a calm voice, and why. Give them something that you will take away if they are bad. Giving them rewards for behavior leads to them only doing things for rewards. Threatening to take things away has a much better result in the long run, but be prepared to follow thru.
So. After this little incident there are some Pro’s and some Con’s.
Pro: Hopefully I re-inspired the mom to be a better parent. One less nasty customer for everyone to have to deal with.
Con: The Uber parenting skill has turned my wife baby crazy. I think I may have to punch a puppy to nip this in the bud.
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