Hi Everyone,
From all of the things that I could be blogging about this is top of mind. This is why.
Earlier today, I was at a bank, a financial institution. While standing in line, there was a young boy scooting around all of us in line. Back and forth, back and forth around and around. Every few minutes, instead of scooting he would stop and bang his scooter on the bank’s floor. I am serious. Bang, bang, bang, bang. I guess four is his favourite number and he looked like he was four too.
If you are wondering if there was a parent or guardian for him there was. In fact, there were two adults, both women, who were in the bank with him. One, I later discovered was his mother. She did not ask her son to stop scooting around. Nor did she ask him to stop banging his scooter on the bank’s floor. She simply ignored him and played on her cell phone. The other female was occupying one of the four or five seats against the wall. A young girl sat beside her. The other two or three seats were vacant.
As the young boy began scooting faster and closer to those of us in line, (he almost ran over my toes), his mother did look up and said something to him. I couldn’t hear what was said because it was a long line.
Once it was the mother’s turn at the teller, her son just kept doing more of the same. The other woman didn’t do a thing and the once quiet young girl took her turn on the scooter. Back and forth, back and forth around and around. By now the line is longer. There were two tellers, and a young man who seemed like he was the acting manager. An older employee was tucked away in an office and was appointment only. BUT not one teller or the acting manager or the appointment only man did or said anything to anyone.
No one said anything to either of the females or the boy or the girl. They just let it happen! I am serious! From all the time I was standing in line, not once did anyone in that bank, financial institution, lift an eye brow!
For anyone who doesn’t already know, I have a retail job one day a week. Lots of kids come in everyday. In my estimation, I would have to say that 98% of them are really good. It is the 2% that have the employees of the store, myself included, saying, “You can’t ride your bike in the store.” Sometimes we say scooter yet most times we ask kids to stop bouncing balls. Each employee is pleasant when we ask the kids to stop whatever it is they are doing. After all, we too were kids. We get it.
But is there not a time and place for kids to behave like kids? Should we, as a society simply allow kids to be kids everywhere no matter where they are or who they annoy in the process? Or should we, as a society have some level of etiquette or boundaries?
And if employees of stores or banks or whatever don’t stop unruly kids when their parents won’t and the child is hurt, who exactly is responsible? If a woman can sue MacDonald’s for hot coffee and win, would a parent or guardian win a case if the kid in their care, (sic) hurt themselves in a public space if the employees didn’t first ask the kid to stop their behaviour?
And what does say about the bank? If a financial institution is going to allow that what else are they going to allow? Seriously? I was at my bank. The place where I put my money. I was not impressed. Would you be?
Just so everyone knows, I had a few words with my teller and the acting bank manager. And I asked them why the didn’t do anything. Before I finished I added, “Unruly Kids, grow up to be unruly adults.”
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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