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Well, I've seen kids behaving badly in public, but I've never witnessed the out-of-control kids like some of you have until yesterday. I was trying on new jeans (lost 2 pounds, yay!) and there were these kids running and screaming in the dressing room. They didn't really bother me.

But then I got back out to the jeans. They were running around the entire section SCREAMING and taking jeans off of shelves and just throwing them. The woman next to me was oblivious, so I was going to just roll my eyes at her and indicate the kids, but I thought, no, I'll be nice.

Thank god, cause it turns out those were her kids. Everyone was staring. She was just like, "come on Lettie, let's go" in a bored voice. They all ignored her and she just sighed.

I'm sorry. I'm all for human rights, but people like that deserve to have their reproductive organs removed.

I think it would have been great if you'd said something to her, and she would realize that her kids were annoying. Then again, if she was that clueless to let her kids act that way, she probably wouldn't realize, or care.

Last year a newspaper columnist wrote in the local paper about kids running wild in the dressing room, peering under the doors, and creating havoc while the parents ignored them. She made a quick escape and the store lost her business. It's in the best interest of the store to make a customer's experience a pleasant one, but what can store clerks do when faced with out of control kids? I'm sure the employees didn't enjoy having to put the jeans back that all those kids threw all over the place.

Cindy

People think malls are public places and that they can just act any old way and not get in trouble. But in fact, malls are private property.

People should complain more to the store management so these individuals are asked to either control their kids or leave. The store shouldn't worry about losing the business of a disruptive customer. They should worry more over losing the business of dissatisfied customers.

If my kids act up, we leave an establishment.

There probably would have been a day when I wouldn't have said anything, but my time and money are too precious to have my day disrupted by someone else's kids. I would have been especially ticked off if it was my lucky day to go shopping without my own kids...LOL.

P.S. The store should really worry about someone getting hurt too because they might be responsible (shouldn't be, but might be).

Oh my goodness...I can't believe parents are so carefree -- or should I say Lazy - too lazy to do their jobs as parents and teach their children how to act in public. If I had acted that way when I was a kid, I would have gotten into all kinds of trouble, and I would have been punished. Not to mention, my mom would have taken me by the hand and we would have left the store immediately.

This reminds me of the experience I had today at a book store. I had some free time, so I thought I'd browse the local book store. Well, I get in there and am not there five minutes and this couple comes in with two children. Then, the children start squealing and running around the whole store, between all of the isles, chasing eachother. Not only was that annoying, but I looked up to see their father also chasing them!! WHAT?! It was like he was playing their game with them and encouraging the behavior! I tried to ignore it and continue looking for a good book, but it just got worse. The children saw me as an obstacle in their way. They kept running over to me, wanting me to move and let them pass. I just ignored them, which made them scream harder....UGH. But I was not about to let them pass. They should have been walking quietly with their parents! In the end, I left. Talk about an inappropriate place to allow your children to run wild?! Book stores are normally very quiet places. ARGG! Lazy parents get on my last nerve.

WTF!

At this stage in my life I don't mind rolling my eyes, saying someting...telling the kids something..etc! I just don't give a [censored] anymore. I am tired of being over run by kids!!! And I surely don't care whom I [censored] off.

I think it is so sad that others can't go places w/o having their experience completly ruin by others kids.

This is why, if people are going to continue to breed like rabbits, that their offspring should be placed in boarding schools from birth, until at least age 18. That way, there would be at least half a chance that a trained professional would have a clue how to raise them. Then, there would be no problems on flights, in restaurants, theaters, stores, etc.

Idiocracy is becoming real life. I'll be glad that I won't live to see it really take fruit.

Please give me some good ideas on what one could say to the parent of a misbehaving child in a public place? I am often confronted with these situatations. I'm usually too polite to say anything - I don't want to embarrass the parent, they are usually just totally clueless as to what is going on around them. I do give them the evil eye, that helps sometimes, but not always. So what would be a good way you can let the parent know that their little darlings are annoying as hell without getting rude?

I'd like to hear some ideas too. I had a horrible department store/kid experience too awhile ago. In the dressing room they were running around and looking under the walls! [censored] me off so bad. I didn't know quite how to handle it, so I just left.

Me too. I guess I've been told "You don't understand because you don't have kids" so many times over the years, I tend to keep my mouth shut. Plus, I think I'm always trying to prove that just because I don't have them, doesn't mean I don't like them, that I try to be overly tolerent.

Of course, in public no one knows I'm CF. So, this really doesn't apply, does it? A good line or two would be most welcome.
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I had the worst headache last weekend and we went out to dinner. They seated us across from a table with a little kid who had a very loud, high-pitched voice. She wasn't really being bad, but her father could have told her to keep it down. Unfortunately, he was oblivious because he spoke loudly too!

We sat there for 5 minutes hoping it would get better, but it didn't and I couldn't take it any more. I asked to be moved and the hostess gave us a snotty look, but it was so much quieter on the other side of the dining room and my head immediately stopped throbbing. I must remember to speak up next time.

I worked in a restaurant in high school and I always made it a point to seat couples away from families with small kids. I don't think it was because I was CF, it just seemed like a no-brainer to me.