Happy Meal

I have to comment on something I just witnessed.

Was at McDonald's earlier, taking advantage of the McPlayplace since it is 427 degrees here in Abilene. It was pretty much a madhouse. Every mom in Abilene apparently was there with their kids. It was loud. It was kinda messy. It was McDonald's playground in the summer.

All this was to be expected. But I watched a mini-drama while at McDonald's that I found fascinating. While it was very loud, there were a couple of kids screaming at fighter jet takeoff levels. Now, I am a selective hearer, so I blocked them out. Not everyone there apparently possesses this spiritual gift. There were many long looks from moms to see if it was their child, and even longer looks when they realized it wasn't. A couple even said rather loudly something like, "Hey Billy, don't scream like that other kid." An obvious attempt to bring parental action.

Finally, a mom stood up and snapped at a screaming kid who ran by, "Hey stop screaming like that _____ . (name withheld to protect the innocent) The child never even looked over, just kept running. And screaming. Next time by, the mom literally snapped her fingers and told him to stop screaming. There was a brief moment of recognition, then the kid continued on his way, running and screaming.

At the third attempt, I began doing nothing but watching the kid. The mom attempted to make him stop 5 more times. Only once in the five did he even acknowledge her with a look. Never did he actually change behavior. The screaming finally stopped when his grandmother brought ice cream to the table and he sat down to eat.

Now, I am not dogging on parenting styles or saying I am a perfect parent. And I don't mind kids running and screaming at a playground. Had she never even made an attempt to correct his behavior, it wouldn't have bothered me. But basically, this little boy directly disobeyed his mother eight times, and got ice cream.

Now, I know sometimes we all parent in ways that aren't the best. There are times when I am tired or stressed and don't handle things like I should. But I was right behind this woman and her mother. They talked and laughed. The mother mad small talk with another mother she knew. The only stress was everyone else wanting to throttle her kid.

All I can say is it is doing your child a huge disservice to ask for obedience and do nothing when you are blown off. It teaches your child that you are nothing, and that you think of yourself as nothing. It teaches your child that they run the world. It teaches your child that rules and obedience are merely optional. And it teaches your child that they and their behavior are not worth any serious time or effort. Good luck when this one turns 14.

By the way, after the ice cream it was time to leave. Kid didn't want to go. Guess what he did?