Yes, please make sure your children are afraid of me.

[SuperB]

This just happened a couple of hours ago and it really pissed me off.

First of all, this was someone I knew from here in town. Someone whose kids may go to the same school that mine are in. Now she's a nice person, really, but why do people put blame on others when trying to get their kids to behave?
She couldn't get him to walk out with her and was coaxing, asking, begging, bribing until she finally told him I would leap over the counter and get him if he didn't get moving.
This is like those parents who tell their kids it's the store clerk/manager/etc who wants them to behave or else. Or warn that the police will come and make them behave. I mean, heaven forbid the parent wants them to behave. Do I really need a child to be afraid to come in the store because mom can't be forcefull? Granted it probably wouldn't get that far but I really didn't like being made to be the bad guy here.

[BookstoreEscapee]

My favorite!

"Put the book back or the lady will yell at you!"

When the hell did I become "the lady" anyway?

And if I'm such a "Lady" *sticks nose in the air* would I really be yelling at random kids in a bookstore? I'm much too dignified for that! *sniff*

How 'bout, put the book back because we can't buy everything, and if you don't we'll go home and you can spend the rest of the day in your room! Then again, that's probably not much of a punishment for kids these days...they've all got TVs and phones and stereos and toys galore.

[Mark Healey]

My favorite!

"Put the book back or the lady will yell at you!"

You actually witnessed a mother telling ther child to put a book BACK!?!?!? Next you're going to say you saw Bigfoot riding the Loch Ness Monster on to a flying saucer going to Atlantis.

[Knightmare]

Ugh.. I'm sorry everyone, but I admit, I was guilty of this. Tonight, in fact. I picked up my daughter after work, and we went to the store to buy groceries. I'm in line and she sees a boy head over to the lotto booth/kiosk/thingy where you grab the cards/whatever that thing is called. She tells me she wants to play that, thinking its a video game. "You want to play the Lotto?" I ask her. "Yeah, daddy! I like playing Lotto!" she replies, big cute, toothy smile a-flashin'. She goes over there (it's only about 10 feet away, I can see her, and she's not bothering anyone) and examines the lotto thingy.
I pay for my groceries and walk over and tell her it's time to go. But she doesn't want to leave. She's engrossed in trying to remove the plexiglas from over the form showing you how to fill out the cards.
"C'mon, Em. Time to go!"
"No, Daddy. I want to play Lotto."
"Let's go! I'm leaving. See you later."
"See you later, daddy." That's a new one. Usually she runs right to me when I say that. So I grab her hand and tell her that it's dinner time; we have to go.
"NO!" she says again. "I'm playing Lotto!"
So I kneel down to her and say softly "If you keep playing with that, you may break it and then they'll call the cops on you."
Em does the look and says "I don't wanna go to jail. Let's get outta here!"
And we left.

Not my proudest moment. There was no one around, so it was a "they" in general terms. She was tired, I was tired. I just wanted to get out of there without her having a meltdown, which I could tell was going to happen next.

[SCSlave]

I've totally done that. I suck.

[draftermatt]

Meh, it doesn't bother me one bit. My parents did it and I turned out just fine. Sometimes small kids don't listen to their parents, no matter how good/bad a parent they are. Kids will be kids.

At my part time job we have a bell in case we are putting stock away, whatever. Saturday a small boy kept playing with the bell. It didn't bother me, but the dad says "you quit that or he'll come over that counter after you" I just smiled. I think a lot of times the parent isn't being serious but it's a way of letting the kid know "This isn't just bothering me, this is bothering everyone, and you are embarrising youself"

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Man, don't get me started, I used to date a cop.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I think there's a difference between the non-specific "they" and trying to make a specific person (and a complete stranger, at that) the bad guy just because you don't want to say "no" to your kid. If the kid is doing something that will annoy the employee, then I don't have a problem with telling them that the employee will get upset. But in my case, it was usually that the kid wanted something and mom/dad just didn't want to flat-out say "no." That said, I have played along with parents who tell kids that what they are clutching is not for sale, and also with parents who give me something the kid is crying for and whisper to me not to ring it up cuz it's the only way to get the kid to let go. Then they can deal with the consequences when they get home and the kid finds out it's not there (if they haven't forgotten about it by then ).

[Contrary]

And then on the other hand..

When my little guy was about 2 years old (he's 4 now), we were at the local Cingular store. When it came time to leave, well, he didn't want to (God know why. I couldn't wait to get out of there). He wasn't misbehaving or whining, he just really liked it there.

So the lady who worked there told him that if he didn't go with us, she would lock him in the store by himself and the boogie man would come get him.

As it turns out, he was no fool even then. Before I could even open my mouth to tell her what I thought about that (hint: not much), he pipes up with, 'That's just rude!'.


http://verycontrary.wordpress.com/

[BusyBee]

I too have played along with the nice people who come up to the counter, take things from their kids to give to me, and quietly say "We're not actually getting this." It's one of the best ways I see parents deal with kids who see the chocolates near the counter, or the MA15+ movies with the pretty pretty pictures on the cover

On the other hand, I usually get the opposite of people making me the 'bad guy'. Parents will come up to the counter with their tiny under-six year olds, who are clutching their kiddie movie like their life depends on it, and say "Come on now, give your movie to the nice lady. She'll give it right back to you!" And I give the little kid my friendliest smile as if to say "awww you can trust me!"
The kid always gives up the movie by the third coax and is always so excited when they get it back and realise they can hold it all the way home. They do that thing where they grin all over and stomp their feet a little bit. Can you say "AWWWWWWWWW!!!!" ?

[BookstoreEscapee]

On the other hand, I usually get the opposite of people making me the 'bad guy'. Parents will come up to the counter with their tiny under-six year olds, who are clutching their kiddie movie like their life depends on it, and say "Come on now, give your movie to the nice lady. She'll give it right back to you!" And I give the little kid my friendliest smile as if to say "awww you can trust me!"
The kid always gives up the movie by the third coax and is always so excited when they get it back and realise they can hold it all the way home. They do that thing where they grin all over and stomp their feet a little bit. Can you say "AWWWWWWWWW!!!!" ?

I liked those ones. They are cute. Ever get the parent who brings an extra copy of whatever their kid is holding rather than have them screaming over having to give it up for 2 seconds? Though that wouldn't work on music product at BN since they always have a security tag. But usually it's books. I've also had them do the same when toddler has a book in the stroller and has been chewing on it. It's nice when they realize I won't appreciate having to scan a soggy book.

[po'drph]

I had one lady tell her grandson that if he didn't behave she was going to get my belt and whip him with it if he didn't behave. I didn't mind, "just keep the crumb-snatchers quiet" that's my motto

[Rapscallion]

Man, don't get me started, I used to date a cop.

Mmm - handcuffs!

Rapscallion

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Nope, I'm afraid that "date" was really all I ever did with the guy, much to his disappointment.

[Daphne]

It irritates me too when people do this. When I was a page, I saw a woman's 3 or 4 year old pull a book from the shelf and stick it somewhere else. The parent knew I saw it happen, so she turned to her daughter and told her I would hit her if she did it again. I was incensed! I told her that was a completely inappropriate thing to say.