Rude children--wait, NO! Polite!

Bluegill · 18th December 2003, 02:13 PM

I was looking at a thread about rude behavior, and that reminded me of something I wanted to mention.

A couple of weeks ago I was grocery shopping with my wife. As I rounded the corner of an aisle, two small girls, maybe around seven or eight years old at most, came barreling past me as they ran through the store. They almost plowed into me.

As they ran past, the first said, "Oh, sorry!" and the second one quickly said, "excuse me!" There was no parent of theirs around.

I was very surprised, and delighted. If I'd seen them with a parent, I would have complimented him on raising children with good manners. I suspect that very few kids would have said "excuse me" without parental prompting.

I spent a few minutes trying to remember if I would have said that when I was eight years old. I've always thought of myself as courteous and polite (comically so, to some of my friends), but I don't know.

The jerky teenagers who let their cell phones ring during movies, the kids who push past you without saying a word, and so on...they are ones we notice, I guess. But there are lots and lots of really well-mannered kids out there, swooping beneath my radar. Hooray for their parents, and hooray for them!

Andonyx · 18th December 2003, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bluegill

A couple of weeks ago I was grocery shopping with my wife. As I rounded the corner of an aisle, two small girls, maybe around seven or eight years old at most, came barreling past me as they ran through the store. They almost plowed into me.

What were they doing running around like that so dangerously in a supermarket, unsupervised.

Yeah the kids were polite but the parents were careless.

That's why if I ever have kids I'm going to have devices similar to a pet carrier for them until they are 17.

Jeff Corey · 18th December 2003, 06:23 PM

Children running around restaurant trip up a waitress carrying a full tray with hot soup onto a customer who gets scalded.
Who is at fault?

Bluegill · 19th December 2003, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Andonyx

What were they doing running around like that so dangerously in a supermarket, unsupervised.

Yeah the kids were polite but the parents were careless.

That's why if I ever have kids I'm going to have devices similar to a pet carrier for them until they are 17.

Keep them on bungee cords- it's a good combination of freedom and control

Yes, they shouldn't have been running to begin with, and a parent should have been nearby to stop them. But I should also mention that they slowed down considerably after they nearly ran into me.

Wile E. Coyote · 19th December 2003, 06:34 AM

To me, nothing reflects on the parents better than a polite child.

And as for the kids running around the store: that is forgivable considering how close it is to Christmas. Kids get excited, they run, they get in trouble. This kind of behavior is to be expected. What matters is that they were curteous and apologized.

Suezoled · 19th December 2003, 06:58 AM

It is unforgiveable! They should be beaten from an inch of their life!

Dragonrock · 19th December 2003, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Suezoled
It is unforgiveable! They should be beaten from an inch of their life!

I agree! But, seeing as how it's the Christmas season, let's cut them some slack.

I say and inch and a half.

hgc · 19th December 2003, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wile E. Coyote
To me, nothing reflects on the parents better than a polite child.

And as for the kids running around the store: that is forgivable considering how close it is to Christmas. Kids get excited, they run, they get in trouble. This kind of behavior is to be expected. What matters is that they were curteous and apologized.

Kids running around should be encouraged year 'round. Just don't give them real guns.

Armi Shanks · 22nd December 2003, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bluegill
But there are lots and lots of really well-mannered kids out there, swooping beneath my radar. Hooray for their parents, and hooray for them!

I agree - I work in a school inhabited by maniacs - casual violence to staff (breaking teachers' hands in metal doors, punching them in the eye, deliberately and repeatedly hitting them in the face with doors etc etc) and constant verbal abuse is the norm. Recently I damaged my back following a scuffle and was off work for a week or so. On my return my Year 10 class of supposedly the 'worst' boys in the school all individually asked me how I was, refused to let me carry anything and generally fussed over me like a bunch of grandmothers - they were fantastic. It is hugely cheering when every now and then kids demonstrate that they can be polite and caring, especially when they see so much appalling behaviour around them every day.

18th December 2003, 02:13 PM	#1
Bluegill Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Louisville Posts: 1,188	Rude children--wait, NO! Polite! I was looking at a thread about rude behavior, and that reminded me of something I wanted to mention. A couple of weeks ago I was grocery shopping with my wife. As I rounded the corner of an aisle, two small girls, maybe around seven or eight years old at most, came barreling past me as they ran through the store. They almost plowed into me. As they ran past, the first said, "Oh, sorry!" and the second one quickly said, "excuse me!" There was no parent of theirs around. I was very surprised, and delighted. If I'd seen them with a parent, I would have complimented him on raising children with good manners. I suspect that very few kids would have said "excuse me" without parental prompting. I spent a few minutes trying to remember if I would have said that when I was eight years old. I've always thought of myself as courteous and polite (comically so, to some of my friends), but I don't know. The jerky teenagers who let their cell phones ring during movies, the kids who push past you without saying a word, and so on...they are ones we notice, I guess. But there are lots and lots of really well-mannered kids out there, swooping beneath my radar. Hooray for their parents, and hooray for them!

18th December 2003, 02:39 PM	#2
Andonyx Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,834	Re: Rude children--wait, NO! Polite! Quote: Originally posted by Bluegill A couple of weeks ago I was grocery shopping with my wife. As I rounded the corner of an aisle, two small girls, maybe around seven or eight years old at most, came barreling past me as they ran through the store. They almost plowed into me. What were they doing running around like that so dangerously in a supermarket, unsupervised. Yeah the kids were polite but the parents were careless. That's why if I ever have kids I'm going to have devices similar to a pet carrier for them until they are 17.
Andonyx Graduate Poster Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,834	__________________ Andonyx www.andonyx.com Shy Gypsy Slyly Shyly Tryst By My Crypt.

19th December 2003, 04:29 AM	#4
Bluegill Graduate Poster Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Louisville Posts: 1,188	Re: Re: Rude children--wait, NO! Polite! Quote: Originally posted by Andonyx What were they doing running around like that so dangerously in a supermarket, unsupervised. Yeah the kids were polite but the parents were careless. That's why if I ever have kids I'm going to have devices similar to a pet carrier for them until they are 17. Keep them on bungee cords- it's a good combination of freedom and control Yes, they shouldn't have been running to begin with, and a parent should have been nearby to stop them. But I should also mention that they slowed down considerably after they nearly ran into me.

19th December 2003, 06:58 AM	#6
Suezoled Mentally Interesting Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 4,588	It is unforgiveable! They should be beaten from an inch of their life!
	__________________ "We must always fear the wicked. But there is another kind of evil that we must fear the most, and that is the indifference of good men." -priest guy from Boondock Saints "And we'll no longer memorize or rhyme/Too far along in our crime/ Stepping over what now towers to the sky/ With no connection" -Shins

19th December 2003, 07:05 AM	#7
Dragonrock Militant Elvisian Tacoist Join Date: May 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 9,856	Quote: Originally posted by Suezoled It is unforgiveable! They should be beaten from an inch of their life! I agree! But, seeing as how it's the Christmas season, let's cut them some slack. I say and inch and a half.
	__________________ ...it rings a bell in my head that just don't chime...--pillory There is no God but the Great Taco In The Sky and Elvis is his prophet.

18th December 2003, 06:23 PM	#3
Jeff Corey New York Skeptic Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 13,795	Children running around restaurant trip up a waitress carrying a full tray with hot soup onto a customer who gets scalded. Who is at fault?

19th December 2003, 06:34 AM	#5
Wile E. Coyote Critical Thinker Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 342	To me, nothing reflects on the parents better than a polite child. And as for the kids running around the store: that is forgivable considering how close it is to Christmas. Kids get excited, they run, they get in trouble. This kind of behavior is to be expected. What matters is that they were curteous and apologized.

19th December 2003, 10:57 AM	#8
hgc Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 13,028	Quote: Originally posted by Wile E. Coyote To me, nothing reflects on the parents better than a polite child. And as for the kids running around the store: that is forgivable considering how close it is to Christmas. Kids get excited, they run, they get in trouble. This kind of behavior is to be expected. What matters is that they were curteous and apologized. Kids running around should be encouraged year 'round. Just don't give them real guns.

22nd December 2003, 01:00 AM	#9
Armi Shanks Student Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: In the attic Posts: 31	Re: Rude children--wait, NO! Polite! Quote: Originally posted by Bluegill But there are lots and lots of really well-mannered kids out there, swooping beneath my radar. Hooray for their parents, and hooray for them! I agree - I work in a school inhabited by maniacs - casual violence to staff (breaking teachers' hands in metal doors, punching them in the eye, deliberately and repeatedly hitting them in the face with doors etc etc) and constant verbal abuse is the norm. Recently I damaged my back following a scuffle and was off work for a week or so. On my return my Year 10 class of supposedly the 'worst' boys in the school all individually asked me how I was, refused to let me carry anything and generally fussed over me like a bunch of grandmothers - they were fantastic. It is hugely cheering when every now and then kids demonstrate that they can be polite and caring, especially when they see so much appalling behaviour around them every day.
	__________________ 'How can I believe in God when just last week I got my tongue caught in the roller of an electric typewriter?' - Woody Allen