Put Down The Book And Parent, Frodo

Everyone has different parenting styles. I respect this.

Ok, no I don't because I'm just like you and I think that I am right all the time. But regardless - I ACKNOWLEDGE that we all do it a bit differently. I understand, some spank, some do time outs (whatever that crap doesn't work), some give a stern talking to. Some people don't give their kids sugar, some kids only give their kids organic foods, some people don't believe in doctors (whatever again) and obviously, some people believe in allowing their children to be "free spirits".

Which is all fine and good.

But the problem is, when your little free spirit is a little terrorist brat. I don't even actually mind if that 46 chromosomes of life form you love IS a brat........as long as the bratty behavior doesn't extend to tormenting other children -including my own.

You see, there's this little Bratty McBratt where we let the big boy play soccer. She hits the other kids as they go by, she pinches them, she gets in their face and makes rude obnoxious faces. I suppose I might let just the rudeness stuff GO - but it's the hitting and pinching - and acting like she's going to poke them in the eye (and nearly doing it multiple times) that is just getting to me. And the greater source of my frustration is that the other kids tolerate it to a point - and when they FINALLY retaliate - well........they're the ones that get caught.

Because their reaction is not to ONE pinch, it's to 12 or 20. So it LOOKS out of proportion - unless you are paying attention.

Truthfully - just using playground rules, she needs a good smack from one of them.

We've finally had to address it to the powers that be - as the teenagers running the fundamentals don't seem to know how to handle her. Nor should they - as they are just
teenagers.

But where, oh where, might you ask is Miss Brattypants parent?

Well, it seems that dad is caught up in the doin's on on the shire - with his nose firmly planted into a book. He can barely even look up when it's her turn to do something, he certainly can't look up when she's physically abusing other children. Possibly he's also planning what he's going to wear this year in the SCA events he'll be attending.

So let me sum up.

I don't give a crap that we differ in our parenting. Please feel free to embrace all the hippie "let them express themselves" bullshit you feel necessary - by all means. You'll get no squabble from me, despite my derision for your love of the Baggins clan. But when your kid is hurting my kid, or scaring my kid........well we've got a problem.

And I promise you - it won't be some hobbit ass I kick if I have to deal with you.