I Hate Your Kids

I spent twelve years teaching other people's children. I taught preschool for a year and then spent eleven years teaching elementary school. With a very few (two actually) exceptions, I have liked all of my students. I always saw myself as a person who likes children.

I wasn't disabused of this notion until I started taking my children to the park. Last summer and fall, we went to the park nearly every day. Two or three times a week I would meet children I absolutely did not like. They would push my toddler down, nearly knock my stroller over, thrown dirt and rocks all over the climbing equipment, push each other and yell obscenities. None of these children ever apologized. . . and neither did their parents.

As a former elementary school teacher, I sometimes have trouble keeping my mouth shut around misbehaving children. But when attentive and responsible parents are around, I don't have to restrain myself - the parents make the children stop the inappropriate behavior. Unfortunately, I don't meet those parents that often.

Yesterday we went to the play area at the mall. The area is for children five and under - and it's not that exciting for five year olds. But there were a bunch of seven year olds there. Running around, knocking other kids down, pushing, hitting, etc. The mom in charge of them didn't say anything to them or to their victims. She didn't say anything until after I told the wild pack that they couldn't run around like that in a small space made for little kids. I explained to them that they might get hurt (one had just tripped over a man's feet and done a nosedive) and that they might someone else.

This inspired the mom to get up - "Did you tell them that they couldn't play?"

"No, I told them they couldn't play like that anymore because it wasn't safe. There are a lot of toddlers here who can't get out of their way. Also, one of them just tripped and landed face first."

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure you didn't tell them that they couldn't play."

WHAT???????????????? Lady, your kids are obviously terrorizing the other kids here and none of the other parents will talk to you and you're worried about what I might have said?

I didn't say that, though. I just began talking to my daughter, praising her for taking turns on the slide. The other mom walked away to talk to the gentleman who her son had tripped over.

Soon after that she and her darlings left.