People Who Bait Children

[blas87]

Once again, I probably worded it poorly, I don't actually mean it in a kidnapping or other horrific illegal way.

I was at a birthday party yesterday for one of my boyfriend's cousins little kids. I mean, an entire dining hall reserved for a Frozen themed birthday party. At least 15-20 kids in range of 2-5 years old.

I can honestly say, I still don't think I want kids, much to my boyfriend's dismay. I may just wait until I'm nearly 40 and save up money until then to hire a nanny until the kid is school aged and I don't have to deal with the screaming and messes.

I'm not a parent, maybe some (or a lot) would say I have "no right" to comment or have an opinion. But from my outside point of view, and watching a lot of times how my parents and brother act with my niece....I'm pretty sure adults and older kids baiting toddlers and children are why they end up being so God damned awful jealous, bratty, loud and whiney.

You have to be pretty sick if you think it's fun to mock an angry child. People who see a kid crying because another kid wants their toy, and they laugh and go "Ohh ohh, Jenny wants your teddy bear, uhhhh ohh, uh ohhh she took it!" and laugh as little Jenny runs away and little Peggy just screams up a storm....you need to be hit in the damn face with a brick. You need to tell little Jenny she needs to wait her turn for the Bear, and tell little Peggy that they'll share the bear.

Toddlers and kids are little humans, they deserve to be treated with respect and like any other human being. Don't mock them or laugh at them because of how they act. When they are being bratty, it's a reflection of you and your poor parenting. You need to teach them right from wrong, YOU need to teach them how to interact with others properly, YOU need to teach them how to behave in public.

Honestly, after yesterday, it makes me almost like a Hulk rage when I see adults mocking a crying toddler because another kid got mad at them and smacked them because they were jealous. That's NOT funny. The other kid needs to be put in time out or punished, and the kid who was hit needs to be comforted and explained why it happened and why it wasn't ok, and what is happening to the other kid.

Or when a bunch of adults sigh and laugh with "Well, it's not a birthday party without someone crying, now is it?!" when the birthday girl starts screaming because other kids want to play with her toys.

Well gee, did ya'll have to spend damn near your monthly salary on toys for them? No wonder the other kids are jealous or curious. Kids already have too much these days. No wonder they are so greedy and jealous early on in life, they think they HAVE to have everything, and no one teaches them how to do with the basics in life, like what my brother and I (and most kids our age and older) had. Anyone ever taught a kid how to share properly or even made them aware that there are other people in the world?

Sorry, that just really bugged me. I may not like kids much, but I can't stand adults and older kids adding to it by thinking it's funny and making them even more angry by teasing them or taunting them. That doesn't help them with anything.

[the_std]

I won't speak to whether the parents in your situation handled it well or not - I have literally no experience, and next to no opinion. That being said...

I am also not a parent, but I have a feeling that sometimes you just need to laugh. Laugh at your kid, or at the situation, or at the screaming and crying, in order to cope. If you take situations like that too seriously, you will end up so stressed and insane that you will hardly function.

[HYHYBT]

Treading carefully for the same reasons as others, but children learn, first and foremost, by modeling those around them. If you, as a parent, *want* a child who goes around mocking people and making fun of them when they're hurting, then that's the way you should act.

[Kheldarson]

As a parent, I don't condone the behavior, but...yeah. Sometimes there's a point where you just have to laugh.

I don't think any of your examples were that point, but I could see if Jenny and Peggy had been antagonizing each other to no end over everything, well, you might just start laughing when it gets to the bear.

Course, I'd be heading home with my kid if he was doing that, myself.

[KellyHabersham]

Treading carefully for the same reasons as others, but children learn, first and foremost, by modeling those around them. If you, as a parent, *want* a child who goes around mocking people and making fun of them when they're hurting, then that's the way you should act.

Unfortunately, that is very true - my personal example is "Steve", who was a fellow poster on a music-related message board. He often came across as a complete.....asshat, and apparently he learned this behavior from his parents. (a mutual friend told me that "Steve" once admitted that they didn't treat him well)

[s_stabeler]

yes and no. I don't think you should be laughing in front of the kid, but on the other hand, laughing about it later, when the kid isn't there? probably OK.

[blas87]

It's a pretty big thing in my family too, I've noticed. I was always too little to see when I was that young, but my younger cousins and second cousins and so forth, seeing all the teasing my relatives do when they are crying or fighting....I just hope not everyone grows up to be a jerk or bully because their parents thought it was funny to mock them as children. My brother and I turned out alright, but my parents never really put up with bratty behavior or being overly jealous or starting fights with other kids over toys.

Kids definitely are not my thing, but I don't think it's funny to laugh at them when they are having a fit. That's another thing....parents who think it's funny when their kids throw things or break things in anger. Then they wonder why we have stories on CS of kids breaking glass and other expensive things and the parents just shrug it off and/or laugh. Your kids' Hulk tendencies are definitely not funny.