Take that, you evil 5 year old!

It's MLK Jr. Day. The big kid is home from school and the little kid is driving her ape shit. So, I decided to take them both to play with a friends' kids at the local Mickey D's. Not a bad plan. While the kids played, I conversed with my friend Michelle and enjoyed sitting back until a little bully pushed my happy-go-lucky, just wanting to run up the slide like the big kids, off the slide.

What?! A BIG KID (probably 5 or 6 years old) bullying my baby?! I don't think so! I left Michelle mid-sentence, stomping over to the sour faced little brat and pulled him away from the slide and in front of all the parents there I said, in an incredibly loud and booming mom voice that I normally only pull out when Jack is trying to kill himself, "You DO NOT push a two year old! He's TWO! You do not behave that way! What the hell is the matter with you?!" Yep, I asked a 5 year old kid (that I suspect had less of a vocabulary than Jack and had probably pissed his pants at this point) what "the hell" was his problem.

What was even worse? The mom that was in charge of this little brat didn't even step up to the plate. I proceeded to help Jack up the slide, the same way the bigger kids were going, and the little brat sulked off to the other end of the play place. He didn't even go crying to his mommy! I suspect that no one has ever talked to him like that simply by his reaction. It looked like a combination of complete and utter brattiness (the kind that says "You can't tell me what to do!") and oh-woe-is-me-I-just-got-yelled-at.

I don't understand parents today, I really don't. If I see my kid hitting someone (which I've seen Jackson hit kids on occasion at the playground), I promptly become mortified by his behavior and make him say he's sorry and I apologize not only to the kid, but the kids mother. This mother at the play place today didn't even bat an eyelash when I yelled at her kid. Not only that, but she didn't bother to stop the situation, despite the fact that she saw her kid pushing Jack. Too many times I've seen parents just say "Now, buddy, that's not nice! Don't do that!" And there are no consequences. Jack, had he been the aggressor, would have been put in a time out (he's too young for anything else) or we would have left immediately. There would be no wishy-washy stuff there. Jack starts being a butthead, I pack up the kids and we go home.

I just don't understand this crap where parents are letting kids run all over them! You're the parent! Your kids should have a healthy amount of not only respect, but fear for you. Lily even knows that when I pull out a certain tone of voice that she better do what I'm saying and if there is even any amount of attitude or complaining there will be severe consequences.

There is a reason my kids say please and thank you and do as I say. It's because I taught them to. Now, if Jack would get a little bit bigger, I can start him on chores...

Oh, and if any one is wondering, I have no qualms about yelling at other peoples kids in public. I have done this frequently. Just ask me about the time I took Lily to Chuck E. Cheese.