Being made to look the bad guy

[Lace Neil Singer]

This is something that always gets on my nerves. If at work, and a child is picking stuff off the shelves/running around screeching/otherwise misbehaving, and their mother says, "Stop that right now or the lady will tell you off."

Argh! No, I will not; it's not up to me to parent your child! Tell him/her off yourself, don't make me into the big bad wolf just cuz you don't want to make your child hate you for daring to disclipline him/her. Sorry, but that's part of being a parent; yup, that's what you are. You're your child's PARENT. You are not their friend.

[DrFaroohk]

They might not be trying to paint you as a bad guy - to kids, a stranger is a scary person sometimes. The parents might figure that the child doesn't care if mommy is upset, she's still mommy, but that big scary person behind the counter, oh no we can't upset him!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'd be more scary if I looked like my avatar. XD

I don't get that logic; what are they going to do if they are alone at home with their misbehaving child and there's no-one there to threaten the child with? -.-

[HYHYBT]

I'd like to add a related peeve: parents who tell their children blatant lies just so they don't have to either do what the child wants or tell them the truth. For example: "The playground is closed." "The ice cream machine is broken." "They don't have any Happy Meal toys." Your children are not, hopefully, stupid. They can see that other kids are playing in there, or that the guy in line in front of you got a cone, or whatever. Even if they don't notice, what are you really accomplishing with this? Even if it works, all you've done is teach them the implication that the only reason they can't have ice cream every day is that the machine is unreliable. Best to tell them the truth: "we don't have time to play today," or "not in your good clothes/the car," or whatever. If you can't come up with somethign better, there's even, the old parental fallback of "because I said so." But don't try to blame it on me or the store. I'll very sweetly correct you and deny to one and all that I had any idea you weren't simply mistaken.

[Amanita]

It also sucks when parents use law enforcement or medical professionals as the bad guys.
"That cop will arrest you! That mean nurse or doctor will give you a shot!"

It's parenting fail to use other people as your "heavies", and what kind of message is it sending to kids, if they're being threatened with law enforcement or medical professionals doing mean things to them? What happens when a kid needs a cop or a doctor, and they've been fed this garbage?

[Lace Neil Singer]

Yeah; it could just have the effect of making the kid scared of doctors or police.

[Bloodsoul]

Would you get in trouble if you were to say, "I like to slowly peel the skin off the rabbits I catch?"

[RavenStarr]

It also sucks when parents use law enforcement or medical professionals as the bad guys.
"That cop will arrest you! That mean nurse or doctor will give you a shot!"

It's parenting fail to use other people as your "heavies", and what kind of message is it sending to kids, if they're being threatened with law enforcement or medical professionals doing mean things to them? What happens when a kid needs a cop or a doctor, and they've been fed this garbage?

I saw a sign at a Dr's office once. It said:

PLEASE DO NOT TELL
YOUR CHILDREN THEY
WILL GET A SHOT JUST
TO MAKE THEM BEHAVE.

All Dr's offices should have that.

[Cat]

I'd like to add a related peeve: parents who tell their children blatant lies just so they don't have to either do what the child wants or tell them the truth..

My mother did this to me all the time....to this day I don't trust anythings she says, and I doubt I ever will *shrug*