Gripe of the Day page 583

[Crabbcakes]

My coworkers and their awful tastes in music. Every goddamn day it's an infinite loop of Creed, Eminem, DMX, Staind and Three Days Grace, and I'm this | | close to killing everyone and then myself.

But soon I'll be in charge of the prep kitchen (and thus its ipod dock), and I'm going to make them pay dearly for what they've done.

I'm going to a Barry Manilow concert in August... does this give you any ideas? OOOhhhhh - how about PAT BOONE!

[RitaRose]

Ooh, yes. My kids are grown now and not perfect (like mom) but they had no reasons why they couldn't behave, and so they were expected to, especially in public.

Back when I was still with their dad, we all went out to dinner with a friend of his and his friend's family. My kids were sitting there, listening or quietly talking, but the friend's kid was all over the place. She would play in the aisles, right in front of the waiters, and at one point she even climbed into the booth behind us, pulled herself over the partition and onto my ex's shoulders, then climbed down his body onto our table! Her parents just thought it was cute. My kids were freaking out!

[Noctiluca]

My coworkers and their awful tastes in music. Every goddamn day it's an infinite loop of Creed, Eminem, DMX, Staind and Three Days Grace, and I'm this | | close to killing everyone and then myself.

But soon I'll be in charge of the prep kitchen (and thus its ipod dock), and I'm going to make them pay dearly for what they've done.

Oh I can SOOOO relate! There are 4 of us at my office. 2 people have their own offices with doors that shut. The other 2 of us share the main office space. He listens to the SAME damn music everyday. Music I could potentially like if I wasn't so gosh darn sick of it. And most of it is mexican pop music. Some days I just stick my headphones in and ignore the office.

[Crabbcakes]

the friend's kid was all over the place. She would play in the aisles, right in front of the waiters, and at one point she even climbed into the booth behind us, pulled herself over the partition and onto my ex's shoulders, then climbed down his body onto our table! Her parents just thought it was cute. My kids were freaking out!

Trust me, I am no advocate of spank first - ask questions later. But my palms still tingle when I hear stories like these...

And now that I have 4 of my own, I am smart enough to realize the parents should get it first!

[RitaRose]

I set my work truck to classical music if I think I'm going to be gone for a day or two. That way I know if someone else uses it because NO ONE at work listens to that besides me and the first thing they'd do is change the station.

If there was a '30s station, I'd set it to that. I can dream...

[RitaRose]

And now that I have 4 of my own, I am smart enough to realize the parents should get it first!

Most definitely!

[naiadknight]

I remember the days of "Do you WANT me to take you out to the car?" Funny thing, after one time each of either getting my hide tanned or getting a quiet rage "conversation," I decided it's a good idea to behave in public. My parents weren't too shy about busting someone else's kid's butt if they were in my parents charge, either. Then again, ym mom had The Look that could freeze hell and change satan's mind, so...
As it is, when I've taken Niece out and about somewhere, all it really takes is letting her know the place- specific rules once we're in the car and a reminder that this was kindness that her mama or I could easily take away. Bam, model child.

[Crabbcakes]

As it is, when I've taken Niece out and about somewhere, all it really takes is letting her know the place- specific rules once we're in the car and a reminder that this was kindness that her mama or I could easily take away. Bam, model child.

Yup. Works on mine, too. Fair to the kid, because kid knows your expectations and doesn't have to guess. Or pretend to "not know"... All things being healthy - kids do rise - or fall - to your expectations.

[Alex Good]

I'll tell you a family story - my aunt and uncle have a daughter (my cousin, duh). This cousin married and had a daughter of her own, I"ll call her Kelly (not her real name). Kelly's dad is Canadian, Mom is an American, and the family lives in Canada, so visits are special cuz they don't happen easily. Well, on one of the visits, this girl spent a decent part of the evening LEAPING from the couches to the end tables to the coffee table and back again. In full view of the father. Who did absolutely nothing.

My uncle, being everything but a priest in his Episcopal church and a conservative man and father, finally had enough after asking numerous times. So he took matters into his own hands - he walked over to the young lady and bodily plucked her off his furniture and placed her onto the floor. This kid was no toddler at the time...

Kelly's father was so incensed at this action that he immediately packed his family up and drove right back to Canada early. I heard later, from my cousin herself (Kelly's mom), that this man will also let Kelly walk willy-nilly through restaurants upsetting anything she pleases, so until Kelly's father learns something about child care, there will be no further children - and there haven't been.

Don't know what the father went through as a kid - maybe he had brutally controlling parents or something (I barely know him)?? But good for my uncle!!!

One of the best parenting bits of advice I ever got was this: YOU MUST SAY NO TO A KID - IT IS THE BEGINNING OF SELF-CONTROL.

This is just more proof that america sucks.

[Crabbcakes]

This is just more proof that america sucks.

So your point is what? That the Canadian dad was justified in letting his daughter be a hoyden in the house of his American father-in-law? And if so, please state cogent reasoning.