As A Perfect Parent I Shall Judge!

I am on a blog hiatus. In fact, I’m still on one. If anyone asks, you never saw me here. I am by no means the role model for good parenting, correct parenting, A+ (heck, maybe not even B-) parenting. I do what I can and I try to teach Kenleigh right from wrong with every opportunity that presents itself. She’s young…sometimes she learns…sometimes it takes her a while. I can say that I’m trying. I have a list of few things that I want her to understand from an early age and I try to stay consistent. That’s what this is about, consistency. I believe that children are creatures of habit and it’s up to us to keep consistency in their lives and be good role models. I don’t judge how others parent and I don’t usually have an opinion on others parenting styles…ie…if they are parenting “right” or “wrong”. Who am I to say what’s right or wrong. Anyway, I have a HUGE vent. It’s big. If you’re easily offended and can’t take an opinion for what it is…which is very little, you probably shouldn’t read this. I also believe I’m saying what so many wish they can say. I did something today that I swore I’d never do. I’m certain I’ll likely never do it again. *An example is about to present itself on why I have NO right to judge another parent’s parenting style* It’s cold here in Salt Lake. Kenleigh and I are bored. On the weekends Zach and I usually try and stay busy for the most part…Kenleigh is like her dad…can’t sit still for too long. Now that it’s getting cold we are running out of things to do to stay busy. Zach worked late so I took Kenleigh to McDonalds so she could play in the play land. It’s true, I also purchased her a kids meal and watched her slowly eat a meal that could never disintegrate on its own…it’s plum full of preservatives…and grease…and the cholesterol just radiates off the fries. Yummy! It was delicious…Don’t judge me! :) Anyway, there are these signs all over the play land. Something like “don’t climb on the outside of the play apparatus”, “no hanging from the beams”, “no shoes in playland”, “please use kindness while playing” (this one I made up). Doesn’t really matter, for the most part these kids can’t read. It has become clear to me their parents can’t either. The entire time we were there I was watching these…I’ll guess 5ish and 7ish year old boys playing like mad men. I’m not sure there was one time I watched them play inside the lavish slide sculpture of fun. They only climbed on top like monkeys…they climbed, they jumped, they hung, and swung. Can’t count the number of times they almost landed on Kenleigh. Where was their mother? She was right there, “Dumb, dumber…get down from there…how many times do I have to tell you?” Their names weren’t really dumb and dumber…that was mean of me to say. Hmmmm…. Usually if I’m in public and I have to tell Kenleigh something a second time we leave…I’ve never had to ask myself the question “how many times do I have to tell you.” She’s not perfect…nor am I. She doesn’t always get it the first time. I usually allow for a learning curve. Not when it’s at expense of others. I counted 5 times between the two of them they were put in time out…AT MCDONALDS. Who does that? Take the dudes home… I’m not sure how long their time outs were intended to last. She usually went back to chatting with Norma (her BFF) while they slipped out of time out and back to their asinine shenanigans. Of course I didn’t want one of them to fall off the machine of complete, illegal fun. What if they broke their ankle? McDonalds would be out millions for having a play land. Of course maybe all the signs (the ones I listed above) would help their case. They sure learned their lesson with the hot coffee incident. Yeah, it’s true…I'm not sure if y'all heard by now...McDonalds lost millions in a lawsuit because that woman burned herself on their coffee. Did y’all know coffee is hot? I read that somewhere…oh yeah, on my styrofoam hot chocolate cup. When they don’t print that on there (you know, certain gas stations) I forget it’s hot. I just chug away and die of blistery throat illness for the next 72 hours complaining that my HOT chocolate was hot. Maybe their own mother was hoping they’d fall and break a bone so she could sue. It’s not totally ridiculous. Oh back to my rant…then the hoodlums kept calling each other “son of a bitch”. Apparently their mother didn’t mind being called such vulgerness. It is her they would be speaking of, right? She’s the mother of these sons. She mustn’t have minded. Her response, “we don’t talk that way.” “Yes, we do. We just did.” “Sigh.” Is this the world I we live in? I’m aware that boys will be boys…kids will be kids. I have a child, I’m not ignorant. At what point in public do you as a parent put your foot down with your kids and just remove them from the situation? Kenleigh and I had to basically suffer (too much? We suffered, ok) because the mom wanted BFF time and wanted McDonalds to babysit her kids. I watched her tell the boys it was time to go almost too many times. I threw up in my mouth twice. She put their shoes on multiple times only to have them take them off and continue playing. I’m not sure when they left. Poor Kenleigh, her playland date was cut short because I couldn’t bare it any longer. Oh, while I’m at it there was another mother there SLEEPING. I swear I can’t make this stuff up. Her kids were playing and she was sleeping. Am I a rude, judgmental person? Please tell me if I am. I’ll work on my acceptance of what I see as complete disregard for those around as well as their own children…maybe I expect too much. Maybe I should stray from McDonalds. I think I will!