I’ve been a daredevil parent since the beginning. Soon after Carson was born and back when I still read Parents Magazine, I read that one of his toys had been recalled because the wheels on one of his plush car toys could come off and choke an unsuspecting infant.
You know what I did? Not a darn thing. I didn’t even take the death trap toy away from Carson. He continued to gnaw and gnaw on that toy, defying the odds stacked against him and that toy. I really enjoyed the added rush of excitement that lingered whenever he played with the toy.
There was also this one time (okay, about twenty times) that I put Carson in his Bumbo seat and placed him high atop a bookshelf while I went out for the afternoon with some girlfriends. Danger, schmanger. I figured he was safer up there than on the ground, prey to the dogs. He was perfectly fine when I returned a few hours later and didn’t even fall out until I got home!
Once when Ella was a baby, I let her ride in her carseat on top of the roof of my car, just to let her get some fresh air. We rode around, I took her out on the highway to pick up some speed and really let her feel the wind in her wisps of hair. The only truly dangerous thing I did was not putting socks on her wee little baby feet. Poor girl was freezing when I retrieved her. I’m lucky she didn’t catch a cold.
At the beginning of the summer, I signed both kids up for knife juggling. They didn’t really show any real talent for the sport and weren’t making any progress so I cancelled the lessons. They started practicing on their own and really started to show improvement. Nothing like getting sliced a few times to really teach them!
This pattern of dangerous parenting has continued. Why, just yesterday at Target, an employee stopped us to reprimand me for allowing Carson to ride standing up on the back of the cart. She warned me that children END UP IN THE HOSPITAL by such careless acts by parents.
It’s a good thing she taught me something about safety and parenting. I think I really have a lot to learn.
(Portions of this post were either fabricated and/or greatly exaggerated. The part about Target? 100% true.)
People need to learn to mind their own business.
And when I was a kid, I used to beg my mom to let me ride in the car with half my body hanging out the window. Kind of like a dog. She actually let me, a few times.
.-= C @ Kid Things´s last blog ..From the Planet of the North Pole =-.
People really need to mind their own business! I had a similar experience with a doctor yesterday. Ben had injured his finger (possibly broke it) at school on Monday, so I let him stay home Tuesday from school. When we went back to the doctor yesterday afternoon, I happen to mention to the doctor that Ben had stayed home from school and he had the AUDACITY to question WHY I let him stay home. He then tells me that even IF his finger is broke, he can still go to school. WELL, EXCUUUUUSE MEEEE!!! Forigive me for allowing my 7 year old to stay home from school the day after he possibly broke his finger and is in a lot of pain. Regardless if it’s broke, it’s pretty banged up and hurts him a lot, so back off doc! Who asked your opinion anyway? I told him that allowing Ben to stay home from school for one day is my decision, NOT HIS! The nerve of some people!!! I don’t care if you are a doctor – I’M THE MOM!
I had the same thing happen to me last week at the grocery but it was a worker “encouraging” my son to keep his arm inside the car attachment on the cart. Because obviously I don’t know what I am doing
! Then she looked at me like I was the worst mother ever.
.-= Cortney @ evanhaslanded´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Grandma’s Lil’ Christmas Helper =-.
I had a woman chastise my daughter – telling her “You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re too big for those.” – for still wearing pull-ups when she saw me buying them at the grocery store. Excuse me? The only person who should make my daughter feel ashamed of herself is me! Oh, um, did I just say that out loud?
The nerve of some people!
Where did you find the knife juggling classes? Alexis has been asking for that for Christmas. I hate to disappoint!
.-= Burgh Baby´s last blog ..I Am in Soooo Much Trouble with This Kid =-.
OMG! The same thing happened to me at Target! I was walking through the store with my 2 year old standing in the back of the cart (the seat makes her mad because she wants to be able to look around)..and an employee left one of their little group meetings to come stand right in front of me. I thought he was going to tell me how cute my munchkin is or something (hee, hee!) and instead he got right down on her level, and said “Please sit down, sweetie. It’s dangerous to stand in the cart”…but looking at me all pious and condescending. I couldn’t believe it!!! Of course, about 3 months later, she did almost fall out of the back of a Walgreens cart…but theirs are much smaller! =) LOL!
Jennifer, you are truly SUCH a bad parent! You should have given Carson a flame thrower to target practice with while in the cart! What were you thinking?
Val, Where are these nosy people when people are really in trouble?! That’s what I want to know!
Elizabeth, GASP! That’s a horrible thing to say to a child! What a jerk!
Julie, I wonder if Target has started some new employee police squad!?
Julia, Doh! What WAS I thinking??
People need to mind their own damn business. No one gets to over-parent my child but me.
I think Target must have some new reprimand policy, b/c my son got yelled at on Sunday for hiding UNDER the basket on the cart. Add it to the list of reasons to love/hate Target.
Oh we should all be so lucky to have random strangers teaching us how to parent!!
(I was supposed to be sarcastic in the comments too right?)
.-= Miss´s last blog ..{W}rite-of-Passage =-.
Seriously, did Target employees have a meeting about this or something? The same thing happened to me in there a month ago. Sheesh. Glad to know I am not the only BAD parent out there.
I’m going to start selling tee shirts, online, especially intended for women who shop at Target. They’ll say “I don’t shop at K-Mart anymore, since I killed that guy that told my kid to sit down in the cart.”
.-= lceel´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Juan Valdes – Artist =-.
I kind of get the thing about discouraging kids from standing up inside the cart. I worked at Home Despot for a time, and they had a lot of horror stories about kids getting concussions falling out of carts while doing that. I have to think that’s a rare situation, though. And my kids love to ride holding onto the end of the cart, which a lot of places discourage too.
I’m always amazed at the things random strangers will say to parents, though.
When your kids are good enough at knife juggling, can they teach mine? They need a new hobby.
.-= Stephanie – Home with the Kids´s last blog ..Blogging While Half Asleep =-.
This is such a great post! Gave me a good laugh for the day.
I love to give the employees that tell me or my kids that, the blank stare that makes them uncomfortable. It’s my kid, if they fall they won’t do it again!
Miss, you are one smart cookie! A+ on the sarcastic comment.
Lou, Those shirts could just make you a millionaire! (Or maybe just a hundred-aire, but still, it’s a good idea.)
Stephanie, I actually do understand the reason behind not allowing a kid to ride standing up or on the end of the cart, too. It really isn’t the safest place!
The lady was just so snotty about it! I was so taken aback by her judgy mcjudgerson attitude. She needs a lesson on how to approach parents!
Sarah, That’s exactly what I did. I just gave her a blank stare. Really, I’m so proud of my reaction…I have a history of being kinda bitchy in these types of situations. (Actually not just kinda bitchy, scary as hell is a better way to describe it.)
what is it with Target? While I have a secret love affair with the place, I have a BUSY 18 month old that never sits still! So I let her stand in the cart where I put the items at. And they always run me down to let me know I can not do that in Target, she must sit down- it’s usually some crabby old lady too (sorry, nice old ladies). lceel, I’ll take one of those shirts
Next you’re going to tell me that you let your children go down the slide with you. THEY COULD DIE!!
Seriously, what were you thinking? Shopping carts are the number one death trap.
I think Target must have a policy about their employees being complete a$%hats (unless you work there, then it’s everyone except you of course). Right now there’s the whole big stink because one of the folks at Target called the cops on a mom for nursing her baby in the store. Awesome. And even better–it wasn’t the first time that’s happened.
Oi.
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Three Chapters for the Non-Existent Instruction Manual =-.
There is really only one response to that sort of thing: “Fuck off”
Of course that is not the sort of thing you want to go around saying. And even saying something like “Please fuck off” is not really acceptable.
And because I am Canadian and we are so effing polite, I offer this: “Thank you for your candor.”
And they’ll shut right up because they have NO IDEA what you mean. It sounds polite, but it’s really not. It’s condescending as hell but it sounds good.
You mean they aren’t supposed to ride on the front of the cart, holding themselves on by their elbows, while I shop for body wash?
Crap.
.-= Carrie´s last blog ..Pint-Sized Economics =-.
Oh, come on!! If she worked there, I would have just taken my kids and left and told her that her little snotty remark just cost Target your business….oh, and by the way, you can go put all my stuff back!
Just FYI I used to work at Target, and they drill that into our head, because several children have been hurt by (falling from) standing in the carts and Target has been sued. They do safety briefings on it all the time, and if we saw it and didn’t say anything we were likely to be written up for not following safety protocol. I doubt she thought you were being a bad parent, however she propbably didn’t want to lose her job. I was told to approach the child and ask them to politely sit down please, and if that didn’t work just to ask the parent and inform them of our policy. It’s unfortunate that things like that have to be said to good parents because of a few bad ones. I hope in the future you won’t think badly of an employee just doing what they are supposed to.
.-= Chelsie´s last blog ..Oh, life isn’t all work? =-.
I know its Target policy and all, so we’ll just say Outside of Target where people do RUDE things- but can I say, as a woman without kids (because you know the reprimanders don’t have kids) that you have my permission to threaten bodily harm and projectile baby vomit on anyone who says stupid crap like that to a parent.
.-= Honey B.´s last blog ..Marmots and Other Fuzzies… =-.
Well, I’m glad she was there to watch over your parenting skills. I mean…it’s obvious that you have no clue what you are doing as a parent.
You don’t start them on knife throwing lessons first. It’s the juggling fire they’re supposed to do first…duh. When will you learn? I’m so embarrassed for you.
.-= Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings´s last blog ..Yeah. He’s wearin’ "fli-lops in winter." So? =-.
We got kicked out of The Home Depot because I refused to move my toddler to the seat part of the cart. People need to mind their own business.
I know she thought she was being helpful, but when it comes to things like that our world is too focused on making sure that our kids never get any tiny little bumps. So he falls and hurts himself? He learns to hold on tighter next time! My daughter had a BLAST yesterday playing “jump off of the rocking horse.” The tricky part was avoiding the sharp toys she had purposely scattered across the floor. Excellent.
And? Not a single cut.
.-= tracey´s last blog ..They say that girls are easier when it comes to clothing. They LIE. =-.
Rachel, I saw something about that on Twitter yesterday! It’s shocking that companies still have BF issues, with all the negative media attention that surrounds companies who do these ridiculous things.
Nicole, I am definitely using that line!!
Chelsie, I do understand people doing their jobs, I even can understand Target’s policy. This is a litigious society unfortunately. However I don’t understand an employee treating me with a condescending attitude and sneer on their face, saying that my parenting decisions land kids in the hospital. There was definitely a better way she could have handled it!
Of course, even had she been friendly, it still would have taken me aback because anytime someone remarks on your parenting, it can sting! I wouldn’t have made fun of her on my blog, though. I probably would have taken a different angle with this post altogether.
If Target is going to have such a policy, they need to teach their employees to tread very lightly when dealing with parents who are usually stressed and just wanting their kids to behave, or train the employees to get a manager.
Honey B. I just have to tell you how big of a smile your comment gave me!
if i was you … i would yelled “hang on tight!” … took off at a full-out run, jumped onto the cart and went screaming through the nearest aisle. with the children standing in their seats and laughing.
ok … i probably wouldn’t have … but i SO would have wanted to.
.-= jen´s last blog ..almost there … =-.
I would have asked to see her credentials and when she said “Excuse me?”, I would have said, “You must have credentials saying you’re the perfect parent seeing as how you’re questioning my parenting skills. So let’s see them.” while standing with my hand out and tapping my foot.
.-= Vicki´s last blog ..To Be or Not to Be… =-.
Bwaahaha! I’ve wondered many times about that. Most shopping carts seem to have that warning. But really, other than simply falling off and bumping themselves (which they do regularly when just walking around anyway) how much harm could they really do? Unless of course, the parent pushing the cart loses control of the faculties and runs the child over with the shopping cart. Multiple times.
.-= Shannon´s last blog ..Dear Computers =-.
I let my son do that all the time. He hates walking and I hate whining, so it’s a win/win. Seriously, I know he could fall, I know the little sign on the cart says not to do it. Still, I can’t help myself. *Don’t tell my husband–he is a stickler about this kind of thing. He wants to be a safety inspector in his next life.*
.-= Lora´s last blog ..All In A Pocket =-.
that’s crazy!
it reminds me of when i was in kohl’s a few weeks ago. i saw a little boy (mayhaps 2 years old?) riding in the “cart” they have with the seat in front of the big baggie for your purchases.
except, instead of sitting with the legs in the legholes, he was turned around assbackwards, hanging into the baggie part.
it looked like the mom either a) didn’t care or b) didn’t notice. about 45 seconds later, i hear her say these exact words:
“you’re going to die….. if you don’t turn around in that seat right now, you will die. kids die & get hurt from falling out of carts.”
so-
at least your target lady didn’t threaten DEATH upon carson!
.-= mpotter´s last blog ..outcast =-.
love the new header. and really? Isn’t putting your kid in harms way all the rage?
HAHAHAHA… wow, my 18 month old’s favorite place to ride is the back of the buggy. He hates sitting *backwards* in the buckled up front seat. Guess he loves to know where he’s going.
No one has ever dared to tell me he can’t…they better not! Or better yet, if they do, I’ll put him in the front buckle seat and hand him to THEM to push around. After 24.7 seconds of listening to him scream, they’ll change their mind.
I use to ride like UNDER the buggy when I was a little girl…you know, in the ones that have bottom racks under the cart for dog food and other big items.
I didn’t do it anymore after getting my leg stuck in between the rack bars whilst trying to see if I could drag my foot along the floor while mom was pushing. I was quite embarrassed at the scene that followed, which included my mom crying hysterically while running around the grocery store (without me!) trying to
find someone the get my leg unstuck. (No exaggeration there.)
.-= Lisa´s last blog ..Moving a Co-Sleeping Toddler to His Own Bed: Day 2 =-.
I can have my 3year teach your kids how to start a fire.. total necessary survival skills.
My kids don’t ride in the cart.. they ride under the cart.. I am awesome parent 101.
(heh)
.-= rachel-asouthernfairytale´s last blog ..An Icy Picture That Melts Hearts =-.