Last week, I went to a local mall. I actually don't go to malls much any more...maybe a few times a year to buy my seasonal allotment of clothing. This time I was on my way to see a movie which happened to be at a theater embedded within said mall. It was about 7:50pm when I finally parked my car and walked in. Given the level of activity, you would have thought for sure it was the middle of the day during a huge sales event...because the place was packed. I've been spending a lot of time in the quiet of my home so it can be tough to rejoin the frenetic pace of the outside world. But that's not what bothered me. What I couldn't help but notice as I made my way towards The Gap (where my friends were waiting) was the huge numbers of families out and about with very young children. Call me crazy but last I checked, children under the age of six should be in bed by 8:00pm. And they sure as hell shouldn't be sitting with mom and dad getting "dinner" in the food court.
So WHAT in the hell are these people with young kids doing at the mall on a Friday night?!?!? There is nothing you need so urgently that it must be purchased with your entire family at 8:00pm. And if you are biding your time until the kiddies are ready for bed, why not stay at home and - gasp! - play with your kids? or read them a story! Here's a novel idea, how about cooking dinner for the family and eating in? Or, for God's sake, if you are going to eat out...then perhaps try something a tad bit healthier than the mall food court.
As if it wasn't bad enough to see large numbers of exhausted kids being dragged around the mall by mom and dad....the highlight of our movie was two toddlers running up and down the side aisle near the front of the theater. Yes, for two hours until 11:30pm, two very young children and their loser parents graced us with their presence. I felt sorry for the tykes while at the same time spent the entire movie plotting revenge on the parents.
Are people really so selfish that they choose to inconvenience their children in order to satisfy their need for a shopping/entertainment fix? Don't answer that. Obviously there are a lot worse things parents can do to their children, things that I don't even want to consider. But these "minor" infractions have a way of sneaking up on us too. Because one day, these little children are going to grow into big (likely VERY big considering how they are being fed) adults. Assuming the environmental crisis continues, many of them will be confronted with a world that's very different from the one we live in today. At a time when we will need kind, good people with strong values, morals, a sense of community, and a desire to implement positive change....all these people will really know how to do is go shopping.
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I've seen the "kids out late in a restaurant" scene twice in the past 2 months.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to detail these experiences because I'd probably sound like a real jerk. In summary, once was in a more casual restaurant, in a ski town but late on a Sat night and a kid from our ski daycare was there having a full force meltdown. The other time, almost more shocking, was at a local upscale restaurant. My sister and I and our husbands were enjoying a rare break from the kids (a combined 9 of 'em between the two families) and ended up sharing the dining room with a screeching little one about the ages of both the babies we'd left at home. Luckily they left "early (8:30 pm) so we had some peace after that.
I know babysitters are expensive, which is why our dining out experiences are so few and far between. Side note, we wouldn't have been at that gorgeous place if we hadn't been able to capitalize on free "all in the family" babysitting from my older niece and nephew. So I get it. But those infrequent date nights are especially what make it so frustrating when others have kids out at an inappropriate hour, in the place where you're trying to unwind and regroup before heading back into the family fray.
I will say, the food at both places was probably better than your food court, so at least those parents have that going for them.
Rant over. And I don't care if I sound like a jerk.
Re upscale dining, etc -- My baby is in bed by 6:30pm every night but even when we take her out for an early dinner, for that matter - even breakfast or lunch -- we try to choose a restaurant that is "kid appropriate". I tell you, those nights out alone without the baby are so important and it is not fair when other parents bring screaming babies into inappropriate settings. And there certainly are restaurant choices which are healthier than Mac Donald's (or other food court type yuckies)and still a good place to bring kiddies bursting with energy!
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