Stupid Parents...There's always one or two in the bunch.

I have a question for everyone.

I know lots of us have children.

Lots of us have children in multiple sports, and we go to those events, every day, week, etc...

and sit on the sidelines, with the other parents.

We laugh, we cry, we cheer, we wince, we fret, we jubilate... we basically run the gammit on emotions when watching our kids play or do anything.... right? right.

Okay... so WHY! WHY! WHY do some people feel the need to belittle, talk about or even mention another child's name in the bleachers..unless they are saying something nice about the other child??? Hmmmm? Can someone tell me that please?

I JUST DON'T GET IT!

HOW ON EARTH WERE THESE PEOPLE RAISED???

BY SATAN?

***

Here is my problem.

I am sitting in bleachers, surrounded by our teams parents, aunts,

uncles, brothers, sisters... you name it.

They cheer each child on, say things like... "Come on kid... you can DO it!"

"Woo Hoo! Go number 10!"

"It's okay kid, you'll get 'em next time!"

Those are all cool things to say. To your own child OR ANYONE ELSE'S CHILD... no problem.

What I don't understand is the need to cut someone else's child down...IN THE BLEACHERS, IN FRONT OF THE OTHER CHILD'S PARENT!?!

Case in point...

A kid goes up to bat... and that kid may not have had a stellar season up to bat, but is a killer

3rd baseman, catcher, right field... whatever!

He's already nervous, because HE KNOWS HIS WEAKNESS!

He doesn't need to be reminded...

The Mama or Daddy is shouting positivity to their boy, trying to ease his anxiety...

Then... then... then... some noodle brain decided to say... not loud enough for the kid to hear, but certainly loud enough for the parents in the bleachers to hear...

"Ugh...not this kid again... he can't hit...he sucks!"

or

"Oh crap...I don't know WHY our dumb coach chose this kid to play on our team...

he can't do anything!"

Or...

any number of rude, obnoxious comments ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S KID!!!

Oh, and by the way... that 'dumb coach' JUST HAPPENS TO BE MY HUSBAND!

After our last All Star game, one of the parents made a bunch of horrible comments about my husband's coaching style, the fact that we lost, and how much better the team would have been

HAD HE(THE PARENT FLAPPING HIS JAW) been coaching the team.

Well... you know me...

I am not one to keep my mouth shut... ever.

I took the exactly one step it took me to get to the RudeOne, and said...

Ahem...

"Oh reaaaaaly? Well, since you are sooo much better and more capable than Bill, I will be sure to throw your hat into the ring when Managers and Coaches are applying next year... and I expect, with all the bravado you have been speaking with, that you will be a cinch to win the title and All star Tournament next year... so please, by all means... bring your A game, since my husband is good for nothing in your eyes."

To which he replied...

"Don't get all defensive, I'm just saying that the team could have been coached a little better... that's all"

To which I came back with...

"Oooooh... YOUR way... the way that gets you kicked off of fields by umpires, and kids go home crying because of how you treat them and belittle them?Thanks but no thanks... I'll take my husbands respectful, disciplined way any day of the week... by the way... we won the first and second half of the season during regular season... what have you done lately?"

He stopped talking to me after that, but kept flapping his jaw about how Bill needs to just not have an after game meeting and let them all go home with their heads bowed in shame for losing.

He (the jaw flapper) was a real loser.

***

I also had to school another parent that was always cutting down another parents kid.

I told her to "worry about her own son... she can say what she wants about her own, within reason, but to lay off other people's kids... unless it was a nice comment... didn't she realize that the kid's parent was RIGHT THERE! and no parents needs another adult's opinion on their kid?

I mean REALLY! What is the freaking deal!

The other parent was visibly clenching and unclenching his fist...and wanted to say something, but didn't, to keep the peace...

Peace, Schmeace... those parents need to be schooled!

Such idiots!

Say what you want about my kid/hubby/me in the privacy of your own home... what I don't know won't harm me... but I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you do that in my presence or one of my friends presence!!! Come on!

One old guy stood behind me at the last game,

obviously not knowing who I was related to, and was

complaining about Alex's catching ability, and being very vocal about how

Alex was playing that game...

When I turned around to give him "The Italian Eye" he said... "Am I right?"

and I said...

"Uh... nope... you are talking about my SON"

He turned whiter than he normally was.

That was fun.

***

Note to parents who feel the need to vocalize your opinion about other people's kids.

SHUT THE HELL UP!

Letter to the Music Man

Letter to the jerks of the world who play their "music" in their cars so the rest of the world can hear it...

or

"Hey Jerkoff! Turn your STUPID MUSIC DOWN!"

***

Now... I know I am getting old.

I CAN'T STAND to hear someone else's music coming from their car... anytime, anywhere.

I know, you know what I am talking about.

You are sitting at a stop light, minding your own business, listening to YOUR stereo at a level conducive to being able to hear past 41 years old, and up drives this punk.

You know who he/sometimes but rarely she, is.

The long, primered or black Monte Carlo, circa 1975, or the 1995 Nissan Sentra, that cost exactly $900 off the lot at Big Jim's House of Crap, ooops... I mean Cars.!

Up the side it sidles, all you can hear is BOOM.... BOOOM...BOOOOM!

Your car is shaking, the windows are rattling, your eardrums are throbbing, and you can feel your fillings in your teeth loosening...

So what do you do? You open your window... TO SEE WHERE IT IS COMING FROM!

You know and I know you do... because *you* in this letter, is ME!

Then you look at the well raised, music prodigy and stare him down.

He happily bobs his *empty* head up and down to the *music*, completely oblivious that...

1. he is disturbing the peace.. MY PEACE! and

2. IF an ambulance were to come by, he wouldn't know about it until it HIT HIM!

***

So this morning, on our 10 mile, freeway drive to schools, we get off the freeway and are stopped at a stoplight, when BOOM, BOOOM BOOOOM starts shaking the car!

My 14, 12 and 9 year olds are upset... because it was completely drowning out a song we were all singing very loudly and horribly to and having a great time being silly and making fun of Britney Spears's fake *voice* when she *sings* Womanizer.

Johnny, 9, asks if it's an earthquake.

William, sweet soul, says "Holy cow... Mom, I don't even listen to MY music that loud, and I'm 14!" I kiss his hand and thank him for not listening to it like that.

***

I look around, and this jerkoff is playing this *music* at 7:15 a.m., in a RESIDENTIAL AREA,

and has absolutely no respect for others. None. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

So buddy, here's what I have to say to you...

And I am seriously considering writing this out on paper and physically handing the following out to the music predators when I encounter them...

***

1. It is painfully obvious that your car cost you $900 cash only, but your stereo system set you back $10 GRAND! Really? How does that compute in your world?

Hint... girls don't only like to hear good music in cars... they actually like to SIT IN nice cars.

In the future,you'll be surprised find out that you can't get away with a Platinum band and a CZ crystal as the *diamond*... get a freakin' clue.

***

2. Your Mama DID NOT DO A GOOD JOB raising you.

How dare you impose on other people's lives like that!

***

3. I REFUSE to pay for your cochlear implants when you pull your head out of your A**, and realize that you are damaging one of your only 5 SENSES! We only have 5 dude!!!

You are messing with 20% of your life!

***

4. Trunks are for luggage, sports equipment, and drunk friends you don't want vomiting on your pleather like seats... NOT SPEAKERS AND WOOFERS AND TWEETERS!

***

5. Note to yourself... IF YOUR CARS PART ARE RATTLING OFF AND LEAVING PARTS BEHIND YOU ... YOUR MUSIC IS TOO LOUD...IDIOT!

***

6. I'm older, and I can afford a hell of a lot more than you... I can follow you home, and play nothing but Opera or Andrea Bocelli in front of your house with my

$10,000 speakers and see how you like it at 7 a.m.!

Oh wait... that wouldn't be right,huh? YOU STILL LIVE WITH YOUR MOMMY!

YOU SPENT YOUR RENT MONEY ON YOUR SPEAKERS!

Mommy cooks for you and your loser friends with stereos on their scooters!

Don't upset Mommy!

***

Catch my drift? We cool man? Know what I'm sayin' dawg....

YOU ARE A LOSER!

Turn it down... or I'll tell yo Mama!

Bet she stops payin' for your GAS...

Saturday Rant.

What is going on in our country?

I am going to make a statement, and I don't want to offend anyone.

What I am about to say is NOT a blanket statement, by any means, about the 30 and under crowds of the world. I know there are exceptionally wonderful people that are under 34 years of age... and I know some of them... but...

I THINK MY GENERATION IS THE LAST GREAT GENERATION!.

There... I said it.

No dissrespect to the under 34ish crowd... really...

but...

My generation didn't grow up with CD's, cell phones, Ipods, skates on shoes, talking, puking, pooping dolls, daycare centers in schools, or even remote controls for TV's until we were in High School!

We had to play outside, come in when the lights went on, talk on land lines, have our parents screen our calls to the house, look things up in a dictionary, say please and thank you,

say yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir, put our hands out for hand shakes.

We were reprimanded if we were disrespectful, expected to do chores for free,

flabbergasted if a girl was a teen mother, and wondered where she went for 7 months and mysteriously reappeared to graduate.

Call me a prude.. call me old fashioned... but I long for those days again!

I was in a store the other day, and my checker was chewing gum, and talking on her cell phone while scanning my stuff. I stared at her the entire time, mouth slightly open, wondering when she was going to finish her convo. When my total came up... I could have just glanced to my right... but I kept right on staring at her.

She gave me a sideways glance to "tell" me my total was on the little screen. I raised my eyebrows in amazement... and didn't budge.

Then she says this... "I have to go Kirsten... I have to tell this lady her total, before I melt from her stare."

OH NO SHE DI...NT!

She put her phone down, fake smiled at me and said... "$126 even...how will you pay MA'AM"

To which I replied...

"I'll pay your manager... can you get the Manager for me please... little girl."

She instantly looks a tiny bit scared and say's "Sure... no prob."

Manager comes over... looks about 19, still has acne, and asks what the problem is like this...

"Becky, are you having a problem with this customer?"

I was incredulous.

I was the one at fault in their eyes.

Wow.

Remember when the customer was always at least given the benefit of the doubt?

Yeah... those days are over!

I said... very low and calmly, with no inflection in my voice...

"I was just wondering about our policy on checkers talking on the cell phones and making snide remarks to customers while scanning customers items. Is this your normal policy? To allow personal calls during work hours... is that what those little cheerleader meetings in the shampoo aisle are all about when I'm in there at 8 a.m.?"

Manager Katie just said... "Noooo".

Ugh... this was getting worse by the minute.

I just said... "Fine... I'll pay and go, but I need the address of your headquarters. I have your name, and yooour name... the date is Feb 6th, and it's 8:45 a.m. The store number is?"

I got my info, and got almost to the end sliding doors when I was stopped by security.

NOW WHAT! LET ME TAKE MY INFUSIUM, RAZORS, IVORY SOAP, DOG FOOD AND

NEW SCALE HOME... PEOPLE!!!

The nice security guard asked me to hang back for a second... for the manager.

I told her I already spoke to a "manager" and she laughed at my Air Quotes.

She said it would all be cleared up in a jiffy.

She used the word jiffy. I knew she was from my era.

I waited.

Another woman came to my side... asked me to step into her office, the security guard would watch my things.

I obliged. I had nothing to hide, and I was damn curious.

When in her office, she closed her door, introduced me to her colleague, and apologized for the inconvenience. They had seen the little Tete' a Tete on their surveillance screen, and wondered why a regular employee, not a Manager was called over to assist.

They had seen the phone call girl, and were watching her. They said they could tell by my staring and reaction to her that I would want a manager.

When one wasn't called over, they got more involved and watched it all unfurl.

Yes... big brother IS watching...

I felt relieved!

Yeah!!!! Someone WAS on my side!

They said they have seen this kind of thing happen a lot... employees making little pacts with each other to "act" as manager for each other, so as not to get into trouble. They shoplift that way too, taking advantage of new employees.

They wanted me to make a statement so they could fire Becky and Katie.

I wouldn't. I told them no, because they need to be taught customer service skills, and if they just fired them, it wouldn't teach them anything.

I used to work retail at Clothestime for 4 years, and was a Manager of it for 3 years.

Customer Service is a learned art for some.

Some people are taught basic manners at home... I quickly came to find out that that isn't the case with many families.

It was their responsibility, since they hired the girls, to train them in the way they wanted them to be. If they don't comply,.. THEN fire them.

I excused myself... they offered me $25 gift certificate, I accepted, and got my goodies and walked up to Becky and Katie, and told them I was a secret shopper and they just failed horribly, and if they get to keep their jobs... they had better learn from this experience.

They just stared at me...no words.

{No, I'm not a secret shopper, oh, how I wish I was!}

***

As I get older, I notice more and more complacency in places of business!

I know I can't blanket statement all people under a certain age... but... SOOOOOOOOO

many parents these days only parent by buying their kids things and not making waves, and making sure the little darlings are HAPPY!

Then we all have to pay the price of the incompetance, and put up with rude, thoughtless,

no sense of culpability type people.

I hate it.

I work so hard, every single day, to teach my kids how to do every little thing that matters.

I want them to be exemplary employees or employers, to do what is right, to say please, thank you, have a great day, etc... to have a work ethic, and to know that you can't get money without work!

It doesn't seem to be a priority anymore in our country.

Have your seen Lynne from Real Housewives of Orange County?

Totally clueless, and so is her oldest daughter.

They PISS ME OFF!

Ugh...

America!!! Use this economic disaster as a blessing to get back to basics... and

PARENT YOUR CHILDREN!

***

Please... no hate mail from the 30 and under crowd... I LOVE AND ADORE YOU, YOU LINE FREE, TIGHT BUTTED, PERKY BOOBED WONDERS!

I'm not talking about YOU! I'm talking bout THEM!

Rant over.

I'm gonna go make Calzone's now.

Call me crazy... but...

Okay... I have proverbially 'heard it all" now.

On tonights news, on my Yahoo site, I clicked on a little ditty about

how a kid, and when I say kid, I really mean to say 'BRAT', had a tantrum and threw

his teddy bear over the railing beside a walking park in Glendale.

When the 'brat' (who is 10 years old, by the way) screamed that he wanted it back...

his Mama and Papa did not hesitate one second and went to get it for the little angel.

AND THEY FELL 80 FEET DOWN THE SIDE OF THE EMBANKMENT!

The little darling... sweet child that he is and has been raised to be, ran to call 911.

The parents were rescued after a helicopter came to pull them out of the 80 FOOT DITCH!

When the news media came by to interview the Dad,

he was saying...

"Well, my son threw his bear over the railing... what could I do, he wanted it back, and he knows how to push my buttons, so I went to get it, and my wife too."

(insert sound of record needle scratching an album, here)

***

HERE'S HOW IT WOULD HAVE GONE DOWN IN MY HOUSE!

Out for a lovely moonlit walk with the family...

One of the kids starts to act up, and throws his toy over the railing alongside an

80 foot drop, in a hissy fit. (Heck even if it WASN'T an 80 foot drop, and just over a railing... it would go down like this)

Then demands it back...

HA!

Kid: "I waaannntt my tttooooyyyy bbbaaaccckkkk... nnnnooooowwww!"

Me: "Yeah? Aww.. that's too bad...You don't throw a fit and expect me to cater to your every whim..."

Kid: "Iiii wwaaannntt iitttttt! Mama, pppllleaaasseee!"

Me: "Uh no.. and it can stay there...and the next time you decide to act like an entitled spoiled brat... think about that toy, and how it was gone forever, buddy. WE are going home now."

Kid: " I want it... I want it... I want it...!"

Me: "Gee what a gorgeous night... too bad we can't finish our walk, and have to go home."

AND WE WOULD HAVE GONE HOME!

No way in HELL, are my kids gonna be able to talk to me like that or whine like they are entitled. At 10 years old... if one of my kids EVER acted like that and did something like that...

if they EVER threw something in anger out of the car, over a railing, in the trash, ANYWHERE!!!

I would NEVER go out of my way to retrieve it.

Getting it back just gives that kid NOTHING BUT POWER!

***

I don't understand why parents feel like they can/have to be treated like that by their kids!

What kind of adults do they want to raise?

Adults who were taught to respect and look up to those older than them?

Or adults who know to manipulate and whine for everything with an air of supreme entitlement?

***

I know... to many of you... I am the meanest Mother ever!

Ask me if I care!

No!

I'm old school.

I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt, that when I follow through on something like,

not getting the bear/toy out for them, IT WILL BE THE LAST TIME THEY DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN!

Ask me how I KNOW!

Yep, each of my kids tried that EXACTLY one time.

Each time... I wouldn't budge...

They know not to pull that crap, if they want to prove something.

I am not a trained seal... I am a Mother.

It's my job to do the hard stuff. It's my job to be my boys' Mom, NOT their friend.

I will never be my boy's friend... I will ALWAYS be their Mama.

My kids get sooooo worked up and MAD when they watch SuperNanny or Nanny 911.

They tell me what I would do before the Nanny get's there, and then she does the same thing.

They think those kids are the most rotten kids ever...

and I tell my boys... it's not the kid's fault... it's all the parent's fault.. they made them like that by giving in to their every whim, spoiling them rotten, not giving rewards, just giving, not praising good behavior, giving them everything just because.

I take no credit... I give my parents all the credit.

They showed me how to be a parent... not a pushover.

***

Oh! at the end of the newscast... a neighbor lady came by with a brand new Teddy Bear...

and the newslady said...

"So it's a happy ending... happy child, happy parents... the original bear couldn't be retrieved, so a nice neighbor bought the child (brat from hell) a new bear."

HOLY CRAP!!!

To my ears... Here's what I heard "Great job little man... next time you throw a tantrum... you will be rewarded.. and who care's that your parents ALMOST DIED trying to get your stupid bear back... what matters is that YOU are happy!"

I am very, very afraid for our future with parents like this.

I hope my boys don't marry a woman that was raised like that.

Yikes!

***

I just asked my kids.. now 14, 12 and 9 what I would have done in this situation,

they laughed and said these exact words...

"Oh man... Mom... you would have NEVER done that... neither would Dad..."

I asked them why...

They just said...

"Cuz that kid was a total brat, and no way would you ever do that for us if we

threw a tantrum..."

They they said...

"Did someone actually go get the stupid bear?"

then I told them the story... and they said they wouldn't have gotten it for their kids either..

Ahhh... I'm gonna have good grandbabies!!!

In the future.... waaayy in the future!!!

Like after college and PHD future!

Whew... had to put that out there!