Thursday, May 1, 2014

Things That Annoy Me Thursday: Loud Constant Discipline

"Taste it. Taste it. Taste it. You better TASTE IT!"

She kept bellowing this.

Why?

Why wouldn't she shut up? Everyone in the restaurant was beginning to get annoyed. This had been going on for five minutes.

"TASTE IT. TASTE IT!"

"He doesn't want to taste it, lady! Shut your pie hole!" I snapped. I had enough.

I'm kidding.

I wanted to say it.

I'm sure a lot of the other people did too.

I was at Chili's with my son, while my husband was at a daddy/daughter dance with Natalie. The woman at the table behind us was there with her three kids, and apparently one of them didn't want to eat.

Look, I get that discipline is important. You don't want your kid thinking they can order something and then not eat it. But still. Why did she have to involve the entire restaurant? The old couple in front of us looked mortified. I could see the husband hiss to his wife, "If that lady doesn't quit it, I'm going to say something." The wife was all, "No, don't.."

"TASTE IT! TASTE IT!"

"What's wrong with her?" Tommy whispered. He doesn't like shouting and her constant yelling was beginning to bother him. Ever time she'd shriek, Tommy would wince.

The woman fell silent for a few blissful minutes.

And then, "TASTE IT! You better TASTE IT! RIGHT NOW!"

I was really trying not to judge. She might have been a single mother at her wits end. But she was being obnoxious.

Her shouting went on and off for a half hour. Even the waiters were beginning to get annoyed.

Finally, the woman was ready to leave. She shouted, "YOUR ASSES BETTER STAY BY ME!"

Now, curse words don't bug me, and my kids know not to say them, but I could see the family tucked in the corner was not pleased. The mother's jaw dropped open and the father shook his head with disgust.

For a second I thought everyone would clap when the woman left the restaurant. Instead there was a bunch of, "Thank goodnesses," muttered. Tommy included.

Discipline is important.

Just don't disturb those around you. Constantly.

27 comments:

  1. Oh man...how unpleasant for everyone around them! Discipline is important...but I can't help but think in a situation like this it might be more helpful to just let the kid not eat until he got hungry enough to eat what was given him...

    ReplyDelete
  2. look what kind of behavior she was modeling to her kids. Awful :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. haha! I laughed out loud again by you saying what you WANTED to say. I love the pie hole part.
    This is scary. If they're like that at a restaurant, what is this family like at home??

    ReplyDelete
  4. This bugs me too, I'd probably have said something. Discipline is important but that doesn't sound like discipline it sounds like harassment.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I tend to tune out all customers ;). Mostly because I don't want to hear them judging ME. Hahaha. Not that I'm a repetitive and loud discipliner. You know what annoys me? When parents are like this: STAND OVER THERE. SMILE. LOOK AT ME. SMILE. STAY STILL. SMILE. HUG YOUR SISTER. (snaps camera) UGH. WHATEVER.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good God. She sounds absolutely HORRIFIC.-Ashley

    ReplyDelete
  7. People really stink sometimes. I always think, what are those kids going to grow up to be like with that as their role model.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree with you. There is a time and place for everything.
    I feel bad for the kids If this is how mom is in public I can only imagine what goes on behind closed doors.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have to admit there may have been a day when that was me. But I hope I would not have gone on and on as she did. I wish her luck and patience.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It sounds more like a lack of discipline. If my mother would have had to say something to me more than once, I'd have been in deep trouble.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow- that woman needs a day off from parenting.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I hate when people have zero awareness of how they're affecting people around them when they're in public...when they do stuff like that, or have a super loud cell phone conversation. Annoying. Go do all these assy things in private.

    ReplyDelete
  13. How embarrassing. How can you not notice the reactions of people around you? i try to keep it down in public!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I understand the important of discipline, but like everything else...there is a time and place for it. This was not it.

    Also, how do you find yourself in these crazy situations?!?

    ReplyDelete
  15. I hate when people yell at their kids in public. It's just a judgy pet peeve of mine. And cussing at kids is even worse. For me it just hits a nerve.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh seriously! I feel bad for those kids and I would have mentally shoved her face in the plate and told her to TASTE IT!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good. Lawd. Yeah, I can't handle that shit. My sister has a thing she does with her kids... they have to at least try one bite and then if they don't like it, they don't have to finish it but they can't complain about it either. It's always worked! I've never once heard her kids complain about eating.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You're better than me.

    I've been in situations like that or where there's a baby that keeps squealing and crying and the parents totally ignore it and it keeps getting louder and louder and they just talk over it like there is no one else in the place.

    I've asked to be moved. In mid-meal. Oh, yes ma'am I have.

    It's not the kids fault, it's the parents. Kids cry, kids get loud, but isn't it up to the parents to tend to them or teach them how to behave in public?

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow. Just don't take your kids to restaurants if you think they'll waste food. Or have them order something they'll actually like. I don't know the whole story behind it, but I can see why that would have made a lot of diners uncomfortable.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I think it would have been funny if all the other diners in the restaurant walked over and tasted the food since clearly y'all could all hear her yelling to "taste it!!"

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ive been there with my oldest he wont try anything but its usually at home bc im not a short order cook so I dont make extra meals bc hes picky it is a constant battle but never at the restaurant bc he usually gets kid friendly food anyway sometimes you just gotta pick your battles.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I practically fell out of my chair when I thought you told the stranger to shut her pie hole! HAHAH! So funny. I try really hard (well, I guess I could try harder) not to judge people for their parenting approaches when in public, I try to imagine (like you) that they are single moms, have shitty days, cant cope, whatever, but FREAKING A! It’s not easy to pretend someone’s crazy moment isn’t impacting you when it’s in public. I’m surprised there was no clapping! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  23. I get that!! Sometimes I feel embarrassed for people like that!! I wish I could record them and play it back. We all need discipline, but that isn't discipline, it's just annoying!! Thanks for visiting my site today!! Glad I could come here for a visit!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh man, I think I would have said something. How annoying!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I mentally cheered when I heard you say the word pie hole! LOL

    but I suppose it would not have been the most tactful. definitely sounds like someone needs as a day off.
    but honestly -- if they didn't obey the first, second, or 15th time - what makes her think the 36th is going to work?
    at least change your tactics girl, since clearly, parenting by volume doesn't seem to be working.

    ReplyDelete
  26. One thing I've learned as a parent is to pick my battles. that also includes picking my battlegrounds. We rarely go out to eat, but when we do, we have a chat beforehand about how things are going to work. Then "a look" is all that is usually needed to keep them in line.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yelling rarely works, and yelling in public is so embarrassing. My discipline choice for something like this would be to pack the meal up to go after everyone else is done eating, and when that kid is hungry in an hour, offer it then.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the comment!

Share This

 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...