St. Theresa
08-09-2006, 12:08 AM
First of all, I really need to be childfree-free. I restrain myself from looking at the CF forum too much and, until today, I have never posted. But I found a complaint over the top and said something. 'Course, disagreement there goes over like a lead balloon. Basically, you're not ALLOWED to disagree, so I ain't going back.
But I'm left with this: a cash register, with other people waiting, is not the time or place to teach your kids about how to handle money. If you insist on letting your kids make their own purchases, you should go to the back of the line and let the other people in front of you. I'm not entirely sure if the poster in question would have you continue to go back to the line indefinitely, as long as people joined the line or until the store closed (and man, I don't wanna know), but that's what I came away with. And it really bothered me.
Now, the original complaint didn't include this elaboration: the mother (or "bitch") was in line by herself at first (and already annoying because all 8 of her items had to be scanned and demagnetized - and you KNOW that all mothers set store policy) and taking a long time to get the exact change. The kids ran up to the line as she was almost done, at which point she told the cashier they would be paying for their own purchases. When the poster made an some sort of noise of annoyance, the mother apologized, but that wasn't good enough. She should have gone to the back of the line.
Ok, so I can see an issue where the kids came into the line later. You think you're in a short line, and suddenly, it gets longer and longer (like that Sponge Bob episode....) I just doubt that most of those who find it annoying when kids are involved would start a thread about it if, say, instead of kids, it was the woman's husband or elderly parent. Haven't some of the same people who complain about something like this "cut" in front of other people by joining a friend in a bathroom line at a concert or something?
But, anyway....
Is a store NOT the place to teach your kids about money? Would it be considered just as rude if the woman's kids had already been standing there when other people got behind her? Because your kids might be a little slower on the draw with cash than an experienced adult, should you ONLY allow them to make their own purchases if there's nobody waiting behind you? Should you tell people behind you that your kids are going to buy their own stuff? Or do you take as long as you're going to take, like anyone does?
What do you tell the eager little kid? Sorry, but you're not actually going to do this like a big girl like I told you because the person who just got behind us may be more important/childfree/in a hurry.
?
I've had my son run up to me at the grocery store with his own purchase, just as I was finished and, because I was through, I've had him wait for the person behind me to have their turn. So yeah, I'd say, of course you don't teach them cutting-in-line techniques. I mean, my own conscience prevents me from committing such social misdeeds.
But what about letting kids pay in general? Have some of us been annoying bitches/bastards by acting as if our kids have the same rights as adults when it comes to first-come first-served?
Help me find the happy medium between OMG KIDS SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED IN PUBLIC and OMG MY KIDS ARE WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU!
But I'm left with this: a cash register, with other people waiting, is not the time or place to teach your kids about how to handle money. If you insist on letting your kids make their own purchases, you should go to the back of the line and let the other people in front of you. I'm not entirely sure if the poster in question would have you continue to go back to the line indefinitely, as long as people joined the line or until the store closed (and man, I don't wanna know), but that's what I came away with. And it really bothered me.
Now, the original complaint didn't include this elaboration: the mother (or "bitch") was in line by herself at first (and already annoying because all 8 of her items had to be scanned and demagnetized - and you KNOW that all mothers set store policy) and taking a long time to get the exact change. The kids ran up to the line as she was almost done, at which point she told the cashier they would be paying for their own purchases. When the poster made an some sort of noise of annoyance, the mother apologized, but that wasn't good enough. She should have gone to the back of the line.
Ok, so I can see an issue where the kids came into the line later. You think you're in a short line, and suddenly, it gets longer and longer (like that Sponge Bob episode....) I just doubt that most of those who find it annoying when kids are involved would start a thread about it if, say, instead of kids, it was the woman's husband or elderly parent. Haven't some of the same people who complain about something like this "cut" in front of other people by joining a friend in a bathroom line at a concert or something?
But, anyway....
Is a store NOT the place to teach your kids about money? Would it be considered just as rude if the woman's kids had already been standing there when other people got behind her? Because your kids might be a little slower on the draw with cash than an experienced adult, should you ONLY allow them to make their own purchases if there's nobody waiting behind you? Should you tell people behind you that your kids are going to buy their own stuff? Or do you take as long as you're going to take, like anyone does?
What do you tell the eager little kid? Sorry, but you're not actually going to do this like a big girl like I told you because the person who just got behind us may be more important/childfree/in a hurry.
?
I've had my son run up to me at the grocery store with his own purchase, just as I was finished and, because I was through, I've had him wait for the person behind me to have their turn. So yeah, I'd say, of course you don't teach them cutting-in-line techniques. I mean, my own conscience prevents me from committing such social misdeeds.
But what about letting kids pay in general? Have some of us been annoying bitches/bastards by acting as if our kids have the same rights as adults when it comes to first-come first-served?
Help me find the happy medium between OMG KIDS SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED IN PUBLIC and OMG MY KIDS ARE WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU!