Sucky Dad

[IHateStupidCustomers]

So, this isn't exactly about a Sucky Customers, moreso about a Sucky Dad customer. Don't know if this is the right place to put this or not...

But, I'm working the holidays at a mall kiosk that sells glass figurines, for those of you that haven't read it before. Sometimes it is easy to break things, so as a general rule we don't charge customers. We can recover some of the loss back by sending the broken stuff to the factory, who melts it down and makes something else.

So, yesterday night it was fairly busy. Me and a coworker are ringing and wrapping stuff up, and don't immediately see a young dad with a 6 or 7 year old boy walk up and start looking. Until...

CRASH

I look over and see that a good-sized solid glass cat figurine and the 4 x 6 mirror it was one got knocked off the counter somehow and just SHATTERED. I start to tell them "it's okay, don't worry about it" when I hear the dad tell the little boy:

"Pick it up!!"

I tell them to just leave the (sharp, broken, dangerous shards of) glass on the floor, I'll get it with a broom. By the time I grab the little broom and dustpan, get out of the booth and get around to them, this little boy already has a fistful of broken glass in his hand. I sort of sternly tell him to put it down right away, which he does. I don't think he wanted to be picking it up, but he was just following Sucky Dad's orders.

I start sweeping, again reassuring them that it's okay, don't worry about it, we can reuse it, blah blah. The little boy says, almost to himself:

"Oh man, I'm bleeding pretty bad."

I look over and see this kid's outstretched hand has rivers of blood flowing off of it from what I can see is a pretty good gouge on his palm

I grab some paper towels and get the kid to hold them on his palm and send them to guest services to get some first aid.

I was just astonished that this dad would tell his little kid to pick out the shards of broken glass with his bare hands!

I just hope the little dude was okay.

[Boozy]

This father doesn't have two brain cells to rub together.

How dumb do you have to be not to know that broken glass is sharp?

[Qaeria]

Chinook Centre in Calgary, I witnessed a similar incident, however the lacerations were much worse. the kid in question was maybe 6, and cuts were all over the hands, and wrists, and knees, cuz "Daddy" made the poor bugger get on her knees (Wearing just a cute little skirt) and crawl right in the mess.

The justice of the situation was that luckily a Social Worker for the Child Protection ministry called the police, and had the father arrested on the spot. We got the bleeding stopped by the time EMS arrived, and fortunately no Foster care or anything. The little girl was sent home to her mother, but the dad served 6 months for Child Endangerment.

I realize that it is a good idea to teach children that actions have consequences, but really! You don't need to endanger a child and cause physical injury just to teach a lesson. The absolute worst part was is the glass contained lead, so the girl had to endure 2 years of regular tests to ensure she did not get poisoned.

Good for you for standing your ground and getting the kid to stop.

[Emrld]

Compliments to your employeers and co-workers for realizing that accidents happen.
As for that Dad there is a level of hell just for his type . . . since we don't condone violence here I won't go into the details . . .but feel free to use your imagination - just keep it there in your imagination.

[WanderingSaint]

OMG! I broke glass once when I was a wee kiddie, but my dad didn't make me pick it up wiht my hands! He DID make me clean it up for the store though... but asked the help to give me the broom and dust pan while he kept eye.

Tought me to keep my hands to myself, that's for sure.

But wow... just... wow. We had a lot of things break at Wannabe Goth Store, but luckily it was small enough we could just yell at everyone to step away from the sharp bits. I've seen kdis get chastised for this (or nothing at all, which is worse really), but I've never met one with such popcorn for brains!

I hope the kiddies okay . And I hope his moms nicer... and flips on daddy's backside when she finds out how her baby got cuts on his hands.

[Sliceanddice]

I have a lovely scar on my ankle/foot. When i was younger it extended from the bottom of my foot over the top slightly to the bone joint of my ankel. now it justgoes to the begining of my ankel as the skin that has scarred moved lightly with growth. HOw did i get it?
Me and my brother broke a jar me and dad cleaned it up witha dust pan and little brrom (i held the bag) and little brother (who before this was the only accidnet prone on in the family he went the hospital more times in his first 5 years of life than ive moved which btw is 17 times in 20 years) as asked by dad to put it on the table next to the trash can (which was full but dad couldnt empty it until mom got hom cause it was a a pretty big job with some one watching the kids, he had a few boxes fuill of extra trash too) so no glass would rip the bag and cut one of us.
Until this time i am un injuried.
I should point out i am very young at this point, About 4 before kindergarten but i had to start later because i misssed an age deadline and my brother who is younger is about two or three but old enough to carry a bag with my dad following him and witha left put it on the table (see a parent who teaches there kids responcibility). Now my little sister is asleep this whole time and will remain so for the story and i only mention this because of the next part of the story.
Now if you havent figured we are living in an appartment complex. My father helps some people with computers, tv conections, and minor things.
Our next door neightbor starts knocking on the door. Apparently something has just gone haywire, theres a burning smell or something is wrong i dont remember but its Bad. My dad picks up my baby sister (asleep in her play pen) usheres me and myu brother in the living room and tells us to sit there and wait he will be back in 5 minutes he need to go see whats the matter and if it big hes going ot come right back and we are going ot spend the rest of the day with them so he can try to fix it. If i remeber currectly it really wasnt that bad her daughter (older than me) did something the computer didnt like and it wasnt major.
But im not good at being still and i get bored and me my brother start running around and he bumps in to the table, the bag falls, i run by it. my foot feets funny (oh yes im bare foot) but i dont stop until my brother stops and stares at the floor. I look behind me. nice blood red foot prints. I scream and start crying.
My brother again is big enough to do a few things he gets a towel and i try to wrap my foot like mom does when i scrap my arm. I cant get it right though and kind of limp to the door caus e now im in a lot of pain and cant stop crying.I open the front door (a nono) fall to ground because im crying to hard to really breath right and i cant walk right my and my brother truns next door and starts banging on the door. the neighbor comes out and sees my brother with bloodn on shirt and grabs my dad. My dad prompt runs me to the hospital leaving my sleeping sister and hystaricall brother with the neighbor and i get over a 150 stitches in my left foot.

Yes my dad shouldnt have left me and my brother alone, but i should have listened to him. I know have knee problems from lack of use/devolpment in my left leg.

Oh and im afraid of broken glass, rocking horses, heights, the ocean and turtles. Try and figure out the others

[chops]

Hell, I just hope the dad doesn't try to sue you and/or your employer, claiming it was your fault that his kid got cut. I can just see that happening, even though you did absolutely the right thing.

[RammsteinGirl]

I'd be tempted to call CPS on that guy. Sorry, but that's bordering child abuse, making a kid pick up broken glass with BARE HANDS!

[IHateStupidCustomers]

Hell, I just hope the dad doesn't try to sue you and/or your employer, claiming it was your fault that his kid got cut. I can just see that happening, even though you did absolutely the right thing.

I was worrying about that too. First I wanted to make sure the kid was okay, and the very next thought on my mind was "GREAT! Merry Christmas to me. I'll probably get sued!" I mean, I could have, for one, charged them for the broken glass, two, I probably didn't have to patch the kid up and tell them where to go for first aid. I mean, I wouldn't have just left the kid standing there bleeding, of couse, but I could have been A LOT less nice about it. I swear if I get in trouble or worse, sued, over this....