Raw, but c*nsored blabbing and blogging of a young journalista
and local news producer in Southern New England.
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Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Worst screaming child story ever

Okay, this is impressive. I actually blogged about something twice. I knew I'd already written this story down. Make sure to check off on checklist.

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In Target the other night I was in the men's clothing department when I started hearing this little boy SCREAMING. He was in the Toddler clothes section, at least 50 feet away from me, and with a wall separating the departments between us. He was saying "put me DOWN!" and whatnot. I swear his voice was reaching the entire store.

He went on for at least ten minutes squalling at the top of his lungs. Nearly nonstop. I swear people around me were giving his direction funny looks, not just me.

I was ready to go over and say in my loud and clear reach-the-lady-in-row-Z voice, SO IS THIS YOUR CHILD OR ARE YOU KIDNAPPING HIM? and then to the child I would say, Listen, you be quiet and polite and well-behaved this instant, or someone you don't know will come along and make you very unhappy and sorry indeed. When you are out in public in stores you are to behave and not scream, and if you do not do as I say you will be taken home and kept in your room until you are forty years old.

But I lost my nerve.

I checked out at around the same time as the woman who had the screaming boy in the seat of her shopping cart, and a little girl sister at her side. She (the mother) apparently believes "if you don't pay him any mind he'll just eventually learn that screaming gets him nothing out of life" as, for some reason, so many parents I encounter do, (rather than, "bad behavior like screaming deserves retribution and punishment").

Later I realized that had I given the child some sort of threat it would do no good unless the mother followed through on whatever it was. Of course it would be better to give the child a logical, believable, understandable threat, but anyway.

Labels: Originally published

... Scribbled by Bill T ... 10/05/2005 11:30:00 PM ... Email this entry ...
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