Children are the biggest threat to our future and our freedom

[jiang bao]

I think the main issue here is that a lot of parents have trouble incorporating fear AND respect into discipline. You can whack them on the butt, but you also have to make sure they understand why you did it. Only then will they learn to respect you. From personal experiences, I've noticed that a lot of parents hit their kids without making them understand why they are being punished, and then they go and wonder why their kids never learn.

Yup, you are correct. Kids need to understand why what they did was wrong.

If you have to rely on physical threat of pain to discipline your kids, you are not a good parent. Period.

Being a parent is not easy. If you take the short cut of using fear of physical pain to raise your kid, you are only going to be able to use it for very long.

[Eagle]

What country is this in?

I have trouble believing (in the U.S. that is) that school counselors actually tell the parents that they can't keep their daughter from leaving the house at 11.

As I understood, parents cannot force/physically restrain the kids to stay home.

[Eagle]

They were doing it wrong!!! They were actually being nice to the rat bastard. It's fake nice. You're nice on the surface, but in reality you're destroying his game, as well as making sure he knows that his balls are on the chopping block and you're holding the remote control for the guillotine.

Unfortunately the parents couldn't do this. They actually tried to convince the guy to go back to school...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzKHQX59Wso

Listen to Russell's Dad calling his bluff!

Thanks, that was a good one. Reminds me of 'good old days' - if we were punished by the teacher (I belong to the days when corporal punishment was allowed at schools) we would try to hide it from our parents, if not we would have the 'complimentary' session at home too.

[kidd]

Kids are cruel selfish beasts. I know that well enough, as I happened to be an unpopular child...
I must admit I don't like them much.
I often travel by the same bus that takes the kids from surrounding villages to the school in nearest town and that repeated experience tells me all I need to know about children.

On the other hand - I've seen many annoying little brats transform into acceptable (or even very likeable) human beings - so I try not to put too much blame on the little buggers for being the way they are. Growing up is the only way out of it, and it requires time, proteins, vitamins and effort...:-)
They are the only future we have, really...
Being protective of them is probably a natural display of the whole self-preservation/preservation of the species thing, but the silly idolization of those little wicked things puzzles me too.

The true evil here are organized parents, though. Mothers for some reason (partly hormonal, partly cultural, I imagine) tend towards it a little more, but fathers often display similar tendency.
Organized parents love witch hunts - and they grossly underestimate their own kids, who might be little devils, but who are definitely a lot smarter than their stupid parents seem to think. If some parents spent as much time on their kids as they do on their pointless crusades, they wouldn't have to worry half as much.

Some kids really can be monsters.
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/Broth...alk683041.html
Bad early 'education' I think. Maybe watch too much violent/disturbing TV or maybe they have seen some adults doing it.

[expression]

Here's news from UK to support the title:

"Thanks, you lil' F****" Parents horrified when the restaurant manageress wrote her comment on the bill about their little angel who was just "a bit grumbly"
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...tle-f--er.html

The loving parents were so proud of their princess that they report to the media, post a huge pic of "cute" little Molly, and threaten to sue the manageress, who already got sacked.

Be sure to read the best-rated comments.

[Cesare]

Each summer, I work as a guide at a chateau.
I *so* understand the personnel's sentiment (even though I admit it's highly unprofessional to be so blatant/careless about expressing it)...

[xJadedx]

I'm sure Molly did more than just a bit of "grumble." The majority of 2-year-olds lack proper self-control, especially when they are upset, hungry, need to go to the bathroom, etc. They'd cry, bang on things, and just make noise. That's just how little kids are and the Molly's behaviour was pretty much expected to have been like that.

The parents could have avoided the situation by having better management skills. They could have done things to soothe or distract the child from the hunger until the food came. This is not only something more considerate for others around you, but also alleviates the child's own upsets. In the article, the mom even said that Molly wanted to walk around but was stopped - even though having the child get up and play around for a bit may have been a good distraction.
Also, the fact that the parents are now trying to make this some huge media issue, even though the person responsible has been fired and the owner has apologized, is just overreacting.

That said - the manager had it coming. I don't feel the slightest bit of sympathy for her. What she did was very unprofessional, rude, and just plain stupid. If the child of some customers is making a lot of noise and disrupting other guests at the restaurant, the most logical thing to do is first talk to the parents and see if they can try to get the child to calm down (I know of restaurants that do this). Even if the parents are jerks and let their child do whatever, it is not up to the manager to write such messages to them. In the end, they are the customers and as the manager, she should have been more professional and respectful.

So basically, it's a two-year-old acting like a hungry two-year-old, parents who don't seem to know how to manage their kid, and unprofessional manager.

[kidd]

Agree with Jaded WenEr. The manager has already been sacked, and most probably will be sued according to the owner of the restaurant. The parents shouldn't go to the media and make it such a big deal.

'I consider myself a fairly easy-going guy but this was too much, it's awful behaviour.

Yeap, that's why he took it to press. He's really easygoing.

[expression]

?? But are there any grounds for a lawsuit? Defamation of a 2-year old?? What if they got a bunch of customers from that day as witnesses who actually agreed with the impolite manageress?

[Dennis Chen]

I'm stupid.

[xJadedx]

?? But are there any grounds for a lawsuit? Defamation of a 2-year old?? What if they got a bunch of customers from that day as witnesses who actually agreed with the impolite manageress?

It's not enough grounds for a lawsuit, which is why some people chastised the parents for overreacting. But it's more than enough grounds to get the manageress fired.

It doesn't matter if other customers agreed that the child was a little pain in the butt that day. Chances are, the child reacted the way any normal, hungry two-year-old would. It may be annoying to some people, and the manageress should have handled the situation better and should have been much, much more professional. Calling customers "****ers," no matter how much they deserved it is unprofessional and uncalled for.

[expression]

Huh? Yeah I agree, the manageress was unprofessional and deserved to be fired. I was just picturing a hilarious courtroom scene.

Did you miss me or something Jaded?

[jiang bao]

Agree with Jaded WenEr. The manager has already been sacked, and most probably will be sued according to the owner of the restaurant. The parents shouldn't go to the media and make it such a big deal.


Yeap, that's why he took it to press. He's really easygoing.

Someone please post the address of that family. A stone or two through the window and a couple flaming bags of dog crap on their porch is overdue.

[expression]

(Warning: the following may contain disturbing material. Viewer’s discretion advised)

*The Honorable Judge trolled, er I mean strolled, into a courtroom saturated with anxiety and tension*
Small potato: All rise!

Judge: This hammer is way too small! How can I smash anything with this?
The Righteous Flying Fox (aka Zhan Zhao… actually it’s Zhan Bao – the Honorable Judge’s right hand man): … Judge E, the session has started…
Judge: And it should be “All Bow”!
Fox: … Your Honor, here is the case file…
Judge: Okay okay… what, “Case of the lil’ F*****”?

Prosecutor: Ahem. Your Honor, I’m representing my client, Mr. and Mrs. Cartin and their two-year old daughter Molly…
Judge *stares*: That is one ugly kid I tell ya. Why are you seeing a judge? You should totally be seeing a plastic surgeon! I know a good one who did my, ahem SOMEONE’s freaky lips.

Mr. Cartin *feet a kickin’*: WHAT?! I’ll sue you!!
Mrs. Cartin: What?! Her lips are perfect! In fact, everything about her is perfect!!
(chants) Perfect! Perfect!! Perfect!!! Puuuuurfect!!!
Molly kicks and chants: Freaky lips, freaky lips, freaky lips, freaky lips, freaky lips ~~~

Judge *slams hammer*: I told you this hammer is too small! SHUT UP!
*Thunder, table split into half, followed by dead silence*

Judge *to prosecutor*: Speak!
Prosecutor: … (dumbfounded)
Judge *points hammer at him*: SPEAK!

Prosecutor *machine in motion* : Your honor my clients went to the Mexican restaurant Cactus Joe’s in Halifax Yorshire on Sunday 08/30/2009 at 17:01 upon receiving horrendously sub-par food and service they went to the cashier at 18:14 only to find that the bill printed thank you lil’ f***** which is inexcusable defamation against poor defenseless cutesy ditzy Molly who just happened to be a wee bit restless so they are seeking social justice spiritual consolation and above all monetary compensation for lifelong psychological damage and please don’t hurt me Your Honor I’m just a poor lawyer darn it Freddie and Fannie and Barney Frank and Bernard Madoff and Benjamin Franklin basically I lost everything and my wife ran away and Michael Jackson died so please don’t hurt me my mom is getting very worried already she is 88 with a weak heart and she bakes good cookies thank you.

Judge: O_o Okay. Where’s the defendant’s lawyer?
Restaurant owner: Your Honor, I’m Steve Ryan the restaurant owner. No lawyer for me cause I’m kinda broke. This is Ms X the manageress who wrote those words but I sacked her already.
Ms X: That lil’ F***** got me fired!
Mr. Cartin *kickin’*: WHAT?! I’ll sue you!!
Mrs. Cartin *chants*: Sue her. Sue her. Sue her. Sue her ~~
Molly *kicks and chants*: Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, ~~

~to be continued~

[expression]

~continued~

Fox: Silence! (sexy voice! )
Judge: Ah Michael Jackson. I told him he should see my, ahem SOMEONE’s plastic surgeon instead! Sad… okay Foxy I know. Er… you got witness or anything?
Prosecutor: Yes Your Honor! 34 customers at the restaurant. Calling witness #1, Mr. McDonald…
Judge: 34?! It’s lunch break soon! Get them all in and question them at once.

*Doors opened. An army of lay persons swarmed in*
Prosecutor: Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to extend my thanks to all of you for your enthusiasm to help poor little Molly obtain due justice. Those words are cruel and destructive to a fragile budding psyche…

Gentleman in crowd: But we’re here to bear witness to the truthfulness of the description on the bill.
Beefy man: That lil’ F***** ruined my dinner! I earned EVERY PENNY with sweat you know!
Timid lady: Well… it is a bit rude, but at least she wrote it instead of saying it, and she responsibly put in the *… I mean, my own darlings all behave very, very well, in fact, Andy is a finalist in the National Spelling Bee, and Kate’s piano recital is going to be this Sunday at Vanity Church, 3pm; she is going to play Chopin’s Minute Waltz…
Boy: She’s not even cute!
Dude: They fired my babe already, so whadda they want now? A bunch of F*****!
Cranky old lady: Keeeds are mournsters, MOURNSTERS!

Ms X: See? They all agree! Your kid is a lil’ F*****!!
Mr. Cartin: WHAT!? You big fat F*****!!
Mrs. Cartin: How can you all be so mean? Mean! Mean! Mean! Mean~~ *faints*
Molly *kicks Mrs. Cartin’s head*: Lil’ F*****, lil’ F*****, lil’ F*****, lil’ F*****~~

Judge *slams hammer*: SHUT UP!
*Thunder, table split into quarter*

Judge: Guards, throw them all in jail!
Fox: All, Your Honor? On what grounds? Contempt of court? Indecency? Political incorrectness?
Judge: Correctness my foot! Can’t you see they are all guilty of patent infringement!
Fox: Huh??
Judge: They’re using F***** like eating jelly beans! FREAKY is my patent!!
Fox: Whoa?!
Judge: JUDGE FREAK is my name! FREAKY LIPS is my hallmark! How dare they use the word so freely with neither style nor character?!
Fox: Judge Freak?! But where is Judge E?!
Judge F: Oh, she’s sweeping my basement… wait. Maybe I stuffed her in a wall. I don’t remember details.

Chorus: JUSTICE! WHERE ART THOU?!
*Molly screams at the top of her lungs* AH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Darkness descends and Chaos ensue in the absence of the Honorable Judge E*

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[expression]

Sorry, my creativity was itching. Pray continue with the solemn debate.

[Guo Xiang]

More proof that kids are a scary bunch.

A 13-year-old boy from Los Angeles suburbs who was accused of starting the Morris Dam Fire was charged Friday in juvenile court with two felony counts, prosecutors said.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/2009-09...nt_8710912.htm