Honey, You've Already Lost the Battle

[mrdreamjeans]

I just finished lunch at Whataburger. It was crowded, so I wound up sitting back to back with a young family. The father was redheaded and freckled, mild-mannered, ineffectual. The mother, dark and intense, was seemingly overwhelmed by eating in a restaurant with three kids under the age of five.

As I was sitting closest to the Mom, I could hear everything she said. She had a split personality when it came to the kids. She would say something poisonous to her son (the eldest) who was fidgeting, then talk syrupy sweet to the little girls (who were also fidgeting ... more so than her son). She threatened the boy with dire consequences about three times in five minutes. Finally, she stood up and yelled at him, “I don’t like the tone of voice you are using, Mister! This is the last warning I’m giving you for the rest of your life!”

Somehow, I think I offended her when I let out a guffaw and snorted diet Dr Pepper out of my nose! *grin* I wanted to say to her, “Honey, you’ve already made a fool out of yourself. You’ve already lost the discipline battle with your kids through your own behavior. To top it off, she marched the family out the door and left a huge mess of uneaten and smeared food, bags and other debris on the table and floor. Now, her kids have been taught the message that you don’t have to behave or clean up after yourself when you’re in a public place. I’m sorry, but some people should not be allowed to breed without a license. My advice to Dad ... Keep it zipped .. or come out ... since you were actively cruising me when your wife was in the restroom with your daughters.!