Here's a topic I'm sure we'll have much to say about: Irresponsible Parenting.

I'll start by sharing my own experience with this, from just yesterday in fact. My daughter had a dance recital rehersal yesterday, midday, and the plan was to bring her home with one of her friends from school, who is also in the dance class. The friend's mother was to pick her up at 5:30pm.

So 6:30pm rolls around, and still no friend's mother, so she started calling her to find out where she was, and was told that she (the mother) was going to visit some friends and she'd pick her up later. Ok. . . but I thought. . . .

Turns out, the mother has quite an extensive history of dropping off the daughter places, then picking her up whenever the hell she gets around to it, or feels like it, and while we had no plans to go anywhere, it was fine that the girl stayed at my house. I couldn't bring her home myself, because she was never given a house key to let herself in, and I'm fine being that "house" where my daughter's friends can feel like they have a place to go where they'll be safe and get fed.

I ended up feeding the friend dinner, which again--no problem at all, and repeated tries to reach the mother failed because she wouldn't answer her phone. Finally, 9:30pm comes along and the mother pulls into my driveway. At this point I was pissed beyond belief at her, but not the friend at all--she's welcome anytime.

The mother came in and made up some big story about how she didn't have phone reception, she thought the step father was picking the girl up, she thought I was bringing her home, she wasn't sure if she was even still here, blamed the daughter for not setting up the plan with a pick up time, yadda, yadda. And I knew she was a lying sack of shit because she refused to make eye contact with me the whole time. I was cordial, but made it known that next time, I will be discussing the plan with the mother beforehand since there was so much confusion, to be sure that everyone is on the same page as far as how the friend will be getting transported home and at what time.

In all, it was a good lesson for my own daughter as to why her own parents, me and the husband, are as strict and anal as we are--so as not to be rude to others and take advantage, when others are involved in activities and such, and to make sure she's accounted for at all times.

So that incident is over, and I'll be watching in the future, with this particular friend, who again, I hold no blame against--only the mother. As an aside, another thing that really pisses me off is when I'm out in a store and I see parents letting their toddlers run around wearing nothing but a diaper and dirty feet. The grime is so thick on these kids, you can actually see the dirt. Jesus H. Christ--wash your fucking kids and put some clothes on them!

There! So I've said my rant, and I'm sure all of you out there may have some things to contribute to this thread, so here you go--post it all here!

vampirebunnypersonaljesus posted:

Parents that pump their kids full of crap that somehow passes for food. I cannot express my hatred of that. Sadly, I have someone close to me who is doing that to the most important little person in my life.

Is there any way you can gently step in to promote healthier eating habits?

I was in Whole Foods the other day, and these really educated, green, hippie-looking parents were allowing their little daughter to pick pedals off of the plants in the floral section. She threw all the pedals into a pile on the floor. An employee came out and asked the parents, in an extremely civil way, to ask their daughter to stop because she could ruin the plants. The dad looked her straight in the eye, laughed, and said, "You know she's only two, right? Let her do what she wants!" UGGGHHH! What a piece of shit. The poor employee looked humiliated.
I wish there was such a thing as "Citizen Parenting" (like a citizen's arrest) where you can legally step in and discipline or take care of a child when their own parents won't.

LisaM. posted:

Here's a topic I'm sure we'll have much to say about: Irresponsible Parenting.

I'll start by sharing my own experience with this, from just yesterday in fact. My daughter had a dance recital rehersal yesterday, midday, and the plan was to bring her home with one of her friends from school, who is also in the dance class. The friend's mother was to pick her up at 5:30pm.

So 6:30pm rolls around, and still no friend's mother, so she started calling her to find out where she was, and was told that she (the mother) was going to visit some friends and she'd pick her up later. Ok. . . but I thought. . . .

Turns out, the mother has quite an extensive history of dropping off the daughter places, then picking her up whenever the hell she gets around to it, or feels like it, and while we had no plans to go anywhere, it was fine that the girl stayed at my house. I couldn't bring her home myself, because she was never given a house key to let herself in, and I'm fine being that "house" where my daughter's friends can feel like they have a place to go where they'll be safe and get fed.

I ended up feeding the friend dinner, which again--no problem at all, and repeated tries to reach the mother failed because she wouldn't answer her phone. Finally, 9:30pm comes along and the mother pulls into my driveway. At this point I was pissed beyond belief at her, but not the friend at all--she's welcome anytime.

The mother came in and made up some big story about how she didn't have phone reception, she thought the step father was picking the girl up, she thought I was bringing her home, she wasn't sure if she was even still here, blamed the daughter for not setting up the plan with a pick up time, yadda, yadda. And I knew she was a lying sack of shit because she refused to make eye contact with me the whole time. I was cordial, but made it known that next time, I will be discussing the plan with the mother beforehand since there was so much confusion, to be sure that everyone is on the same page as far as how the friend will be getting transported home and at what time.

In all, it was a good lesson for my own daughter as to why her own parents, me and the husband, are as strict and anal as we are--so as not to be rude to others and take advantage, when others are involved in activities and such, and to make sure she's accounted for at all times.

So that incident is over, and I'll be watching in the future, with this particular friend, who again, I hold no blame against--only the mother. As an aside, another thing that really pisses me off is when I'm out in a store and I see parents letting their toddlers run around wearing nothing but a diaper and dirty feet. The grime is so thick on these kids, you can actually see the dirt. Jesus H. Christ--wash your fucking kids and put some clothes on them!

There! So I've said my rant, and I'm sure all of you out there may have some things to contribute to this thread, so here you go--post it all here!

Uhh, poor kid. That was very nice of you to host her daughter though.

I used to work at a daycare and this one kid's dad was late almost all the time. I'd have to walk him home and wait with him until his dad got there. I was supposed to get 10 bucks, but the dude hardly ever paid. Apartment was filthy. One Monday there were happy meals and other take-out foods that hadn't been thrown out, and they were there, in the same place, when I was over that house two, three, four days later...

RhettButler posted:

Uhh, poor kid. That was very nice of you to host her daughter though.

I used to work at a daycare and this one kid's dad was late almost all the time. I'd have to walk him home and wait with him until his dad got there. I was supposed to get 10 bucks, but the dude hardly ever paid. Apartment was filthy. One Monday there were happy meals and other take-out foods that hadn't been thrown out, and they were there, in the same place, when I was over that house two, three, four days later...

I'm finding out more and more unpleasant things about this mother, like how she slapped the girl while sitting in church because she was whispering to one of her younger sisters. .. . .real piece of work this one is.

I'm still flabbergasted that she would knowingly strand her daughter somewhere so she can twiddle off and do her own thing, especially without regard to even asking us if it was ok to leave her for 9 hours, or if we might have had plans to go somewhere. But, again, I'd rather her be stranded at my house than down in the center of town with the drunks and hobos.

I have a feeling that this summer, moreso in the past, my house will be the safe haven/fun place for all of my daughter's new friends in public high school. Whatever works--at least if they're all in the pool and I'm feeding them, I know where they are and that they're at least getting one good meal each day.

And I'll be sure to clean up afterwards so it doesn't look like the aparment you described, Rhett--lol. Ugh! There's nothing wrong with eating take out, or having an apartment, or whatever it is you have/don't have, but there's no excuse for not keeping it clean. That requires nothing other than a little pride in your surroundings and elbow grease.