Baby takes a tumble

[customersruinmylife]

Was doing my normal thing at work, when suddenly, I noticed a baby standing on top of a high chair. The baby, probably about two years old, was quite clearly trying to get its parents attention, as they were just sat there drinking and ignoring it. The baby was stood up, and was rocking the high chair quite violently. So, I saw where this was headed, and I went over.

Me: Be careful there sweetheart, I dont want you to fall.
Baby: *Looks very confused and carries on doing what its doing*
Mother: Excuse me, don't tell our baby what to do.
Father: Yeah, if you have a problem speak to us.
Me: I'm sorry, I was going to, I was just a little concerned...
Mother: About what?
Me: Well if the high chair tipped she could be very badly hurt.
Mother: Tut! We know how to look after our baby thank you very much!

I walked away. And yep, the baby stood up again and carried on rocking the high chair back and forth. Then there was the sound of a crash. Baby had tipped over the high chair, and was now lying several feet away from it on the floor.

The brilliant parents that they were, simply picked up the baby, placed it back in the high chair, and left it screaming in pain while they finished their drinks.

[ruffledbirdy]

Yeah see, this is what is wrong with the world today. Shouldn't human beings, genetically, have hard wired protective instincts regarding their off spring? I could understand a father and mother walking around with their child in an armored personal carrier and growling at anyone who even looks funny at their child (Psycho, but I can understand), but completely ignoring it?! That doesn't make sense.

I personaly am probably over protective of my neice. I test her hot drinks to make sure they won't burn her, I want her to have a healthy diet when I'm babysitting (her parents do too), I have a problem with boys talking to her (she's 12... BACK OFF! GRRR! *growl growl snap*), and don't let her use those stupid shoes with wheels in them. And when she was a baby she was either holding my hand or strapped in one of those backpack things, not rocking back and forth in a chair. Stupid parents.

Ruffledbirdy

[Jewels]

Wow...just...wow.

[air914]

Oh my gosh report them to child services! That's ridiculous. I mean heck a baby isn't unbreakable - what if he/she had fallen and broken something? Or what if they fell on a fork or a piece of glass that was on the floor??? Oh my gosh! They need Supernanny to come give them a smackdown!

[iradney]

I don't even HAVE kids and I get protective of them. That's why I'm petrified of becoming a mother, coz I know I'll coddle them and over-protect them.
But sheesh, even that is better than possible concussion and brain damage!

[Anakah]

Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed. Honestly. If you need to be 21 to drink, a license to drive, why not a license to have babies? Something to see if you are a fit parent. I may sound sick but this is a prime example of people who should be sterile or attend a parenting class. Maybe a mandatory parenting class or something. They make me sick.

[blas]

Something that has detoured SOME (note: not all, but some, and that's better than none at all!) teens has been Baby Think It Over. Granted, no, you can't stop a real baby from crying by sticking a key in it's back, and babies diapers DO need to be changed.....but those dolls are so unpredictable as to when they'll cry and they always make sure to cry at 2 and 3 am every night (baby brother had one for the weekend once. I refused to babysit).

What nice parents. "It's ok babe, sit back down, we'll worry about the kid after we finish our next round of margaritas."

They need that child taken, pronto.

[Crazeyal]

You should have called the police annonomously and then relayed the truth when the nice officer came to investigate.

[starla671]

That poor baby! Kids know no danger when they're little, so it's up to the parents to let them know their limits and that they can get hurt.

At work, I am constantly telling kids not to run on our stairs, put their mouth on the door(yuck!), or play with breakables. Believe me, I've gotten some looks from some "parents"!

[air914]

Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed. Honestly. If you need to be 21 to drink, a license to drive, why not a license to have babies? Something to see if you are a fit parent. I may sound sick but this is a prime example of people who should be sterile or attend a parenting class. Maybe a mandatory parenting class or something. They make me sick.

Oh no I totally agree!! Maybe not w/ the sterilization..... but YES you should have a license before you are allowed to take your baby home! Of course there would be some issues w/ people then having their babies at home..... but you would hope the majority of people would want that epideral and would go to the hospital! Then NO BABY FOR YOU until you go through basic parenting - NO you don't shake the baby to get it to shut up, NO you don't put the baby in the play pen and then go into another room and do your own thing, NO you don't hand your child plastic bags to "play" with, etc.

I guess I just had really good parents and this stuff is second nature to me.... but man I wish schools taught some basic REAL WORLD stuff - forget Trigonometry - I haven't used it since I left high school - how bout some FINANCIAL classes (like having 20 credit cards is NOT a good idea), some basic Social Skills, and some Parenting classes??? Would that be so awful to replace your 12th year of math (or some other subject) with a REAL WORLD education class before you leave high school???

[Daphne]

The same thing happened to me and my boyfriend about two years ago when we went to see a movie. The theater is inside a casino and as we were leaving, I saw an unattended baby carriage in the middle of the floor. I saw what I thought was a doll fall out of the side of the carriage directly onto the tile floor. I couldn't imagine someone leaving a baby unattended like that, plus I didn't have my glasses on. Anyway, I put on my glasses and realize it's a 7-8 month old baby who has fallen head first onto the floor, and she is screaming. My bf and I run over, but we don't pick her up. As I'm yelling for security, the baby's trashy teenage mother and grandmother come over and start laughing. I go ballistic and tell them what morons they are. They had been standing in line to enroll the baby in the casino's daycare. Once I got home, I called the casino, alerted security, and told them to review the security tapes. I hoped they would see what happened and call CPS.

[XCashier]

but man I wish schools taught some basic REAL WORLD stuff - forget Trigonometry - I haven't used it since I left high school - how bout some FINANCIAL classes (like having 20 credit cards is NOT a good idea), some basic Social Skills, and some Parenting classes??? Would that be so awful to replace your 12th year of math (or some other subject) with a REAL WORLD education class before you leave high school???

This, I totally agree with. How many people use Trig or Advanced Calculus in the real world? Classes should be offered on Budgeting, Basic Hygiene, Housecleaning, Healthy Cooking, Car Maintenance, Social Skills and definitely Parenting. Maybe add an extra semester for these classes, but they should be mandatory, seeing how many folks cannot grasp these basic concepts.

Back OT, please tell me that the police or CPS were called on those negligent parents! A fall from a high chair is no picnic for a small child. If that was a hard floor, the baby could've gotten a cracked skull or similar injury--even falling onto carpet from that height would hurt the baby.

[Cia]

A little boy, Sequoia, my sis and I babysat fell off the jungle gym down at the park and his Mom thought he was just stunned until he threw up all over her car. She got him up the IHS hospital just before the last doctor left for the day and he was immediatly transported over to RC Regional with a severe concussion. He almost died. You always need to take thwacks to the head seriously.

[Reyneth]

Y'all just know what these idiots would have sued the resturant if the child had been severely hurt, right? I mean - would've seen that one coming from a mile away.

Damned if you do say anything to offend the parents, damned if you don't - but better to err on the side of the child's safety in those situations.

[zzapp the witch]

I advocate personal responsibility. So don't mind me not asking for your forgiveness when I disagree wholeheartedly with the idea of "breeding licenses". I find the idea stupid and disgusting.

And given how various licensing and government "guidance" programs have royally screwed things up, common sense should tell you that parents like these would be the ones that would be licensed, while the potentially good parents of the country would not be.

Remember, if it makes sense, it isn't allowed.

Personally, I would have got on the phone and called 911 for head trauma to a toddler. You could have easily won any court case (if the parents tried that angle) because of warnings on the chair, and the fact that you had already gone over to ensure the safety of the child. The parents were grossly negligent and should have been called on it. The authorities would have taken a definite interest in the parents if you had.