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Kidults in Supermarkets

(57 Posts)
Sueinkent Tue 16-Sept-25 12:48:14

I was in a supermarket yesterday and there were 2 parents with 2 kids and the dad was behaving like the place was a playground. Chasing his daughter (about 6) around free standing shelves screaming and shouting. The little girl was almost hysterical. Where do these people think they are? Supermarkets are full of dangerous materials. Glass, tins etc yet here was this bloke running around chasing his kid. I was inclined to challenge him but thought twice as abuse was bound to be the reaction.

Crossstitchfan Tue 16-Sept-25 12:51:49

How daft. Some people don’t deserve to be parents.

Oreo Tue 16-Sept-25 12:56:24

Where are the staff to tell this shopper to behave? Nowhere, or keeping their heads down.Nobody challenges anything now so crime and bad behaviour proliferates.

Babs03 Tue 16-Sept-25 13:00:46

Showing children that it is ok to charge around a supermarket as if it is a playground is not going to end well.
My GCs are all taught to behave differently in public places, to slow down and walk nicely and not to shout or scream and if they behave badly a parent will remove them from that place and withdraw any treats.
In a park or playground all bets are off, they can race round and make more noise.
Surely this is just common sense.

sassenach512 Tue 16-Sept-25 14:07:31

The same kind of parents who let their kids run riot in restaurants when you're trying to enjoy a meal. They don't teach their kids how to behave in public places because they have no filter themselves

eazybee Tue 16-Sept-25 14:18:36

You see this behaviour in swimming baths, particularly with grandpas trying to be super-grandpa, shouting and splashing water and blocking swimming lanes.

AmberGran Tue 16-Sept-25 16:40:03

The Christmas before last I watched as two young girls (7-8 years old I would imagine) chased each other around a tower of fake presents in our local Boots. Another older woman looked at me and said 'This won't end well'. She videoed it on her camera until one of the girls got dizzy and fell onto the stack, and all the cardboard boxes fell on the girls. The girls screamed but weren't hurt, just shocked. Mum threw down the make up she was checking out and ran over, screaming at the shop assistants that the tower had fallen on her girls. The manager came over, also a bit shocked, and the video lady told her the girls had knocked it down while running round it. The Mum got very ansi and started screaming at the manager about the dangerous layout. The video lady got her camera out, and showed the manager the video of the girls knocking the tower over and calmly told the Mum that it was time the girls learned that shops are not playgrounds. She then gave her name and number to the manager incase she needed the video as proof. She was so calm and stately she reminded me of my first headmistress in infant school and I ended up in stitches. The Mum meanwhile was vying with the girls for who could make the most noise, obviously still shocked but probably also feeling guilty and now screaming at the girls as well as the manager. I left at that point to get away from the noise so no idea what became of it all.

CariadAgain Tue 16-Sept-25 16:52:30

It starts all the way down at babyhood. I've not forgotten the time I was in a library trying to choose a book or two for myself and a mother came in with baby in pram. The child decided to kick off with loads of noise and I gave her a "Look" which I'm sure she interpreted correctly as "I know you are supposed to take your child out of here until they keep quiet". She DID darn well understand my look - as she looked guilty. But she just stood there and did nothing and the child kept on and on etc.

I went to a library assistant and asked her to request the mother and baby leave until the baby was quiet and she basically said they didn't dare tell them that - even though the assistants were also well aware the mother should take that baby out.

I can't recall what the ending of that tale is all these years later - though I'm perfectly capable of doing that assistants job for them and telling the woman to leave. So I wouldnt be surprised if that is what I did do....

The parents have to "start on the right foot" from the outset and know when children should not be making noise and deal with them if they are.

butterandjam Tue 16-Sept-25 17:10:03

Oreo

Where are the staff to tell this shopper to behave? Nowhere, or keeping their heads down.Nobody challenges anything now so crime and bad behaviour proliferates.

Why leave it to staff? I am from that village where we helping to raise other peoples children. Of all ages.

The other day in smkt a child age 4 -ish was going along a shelf of wrapped bread rolls, deliberately squashing them in turn. Mother told her "no" and "don't do that "twice in that feeble gentle-parenting voice so of course child just ignored her and carried on damaging goods.

I said (in quiet teacher voice) " Do what Mummy told you". She stopped instantly.

Babs03 Tue 16-Sept-25 17:29:22

@butterandjam
Oh that feeble ‘don’t do that’ usually said whilst mum or dad scroll on their phones or
simply don’t check to actually see if their child has actually stopped what they were doing. I also will offer a firm but polite ‘don’t do that dear’ whilst keeping eye contact with the child. At this point negligent parents usually pay attention and pull their child away.

Sadgrandma Tue 16-Sept-25 17:51:28

I was once in a restaurant and a little girl of about four came up to our table, stood next to me and kept talking at me. As much as I like children I really didn’t want to spend my meal entertaining another person’s, rather snotty, child so I tried to ignore her a bit until, to my horror, she sneezed all over my plate! Fortunately I had almost finished my meal but I told the little girl quite sharply to go back to her mummy. The mother then looked at me as if I was the Wicked Witch of the West!

Babs03 Tue 16-Sept-25 19:07:11

Sadgrandma

I was once in a restaurant and a little girl of about four came up to our table, stood next to me and kept talking at me. As much as I like children I really didn’t want to spend my meal entertaining another person’s, rather snotty, child so I tried to ignore her a bit until, to my horror, she sneezed all over my plate! Fortunately I had almost finished my meal but I told the little girl quite sharply to go back to her mummy. The mother then looked at me as if I was the Wicked Witch of the West!

I think some people need to realise, whether they have children or dogs, that other people may not share their fascination with the object of their unconditional love.

Allira Tue 16-Sept-25 19:56:27

The child decided to kick off with loads of noise and I gave her a "Look"

I'm not sure that giving a crying baby a Look would pacify it in the slightest.

Do you have children CariadAgain? Babies cry for many reasons, toddlers have tantrums.

Libraries aren't the silent places they used to be. The Mum probably brought her baby for a group which involves singing, movement etc and may have been embarrassed by her crying baby without a disapproving older woman glaring at them.

Allira Tue 16-Sept-25 19:58:25

Sueinkent
My above post does not mean that I approve of what that stupid father was doing - he needs to keep that kind of behaviour for the playground!

Crossstitchfan Tue 16-Sept-25 22:14:42

Allira

^The child decided to kick off with loads of noise and I gave her a "Look"^

I'm not sure that giving a crying baby a Look would pacify it in the slightest.

Do you have children CariadAgain? Babies cry for many reasons, toddlers have tantrums.

Libraries aren't the silent places they used to be. The Mum probably brought her baby for a group which involves singing, movement etc and may have been embarrassed by her crying baby without a disapproving older woman glaring at them.

It was the mother she gave the look to, not the baby, Allira! I read it like you did at first, but since reading it again more slowly, I realised I had got it wrongl

Allira Tue 16-Sept-25 22:26:40

Ah. Just re-read it.

Even so, I don't think it helped the situation.

M0nica Tue 16-Sept-25 22:31:06

These are the parents who will be posting on GN in 15-20 years time complaining because they never see their AC or that the AC take them for granted and treat them like doormats.

When will they ever learn, when will they ever learn.

Sueinkent Tue 16-Sept-25 22:46:58

CariadAgain

It starts all the way down at babyhood. I've not forgotten the time I was in a library trying to choose a book or two for myself and a mother came in with baby in pram. The child decided to kick off with loads of noise and I gave her a "Look" which I'm sure she interpreted correctly as "I know you are supposed to take your child out of here until they keep quiet". She DID darn well understand my look - as she looked guilty. But she just stood there and did nothing and the child kept on and on etc.

I went to a library assistant and asked her to request the mother and baby leave until the baby was quiet and she basically said they didn't dare tell them that - even though the assistants were also well aware the mother should take that baby out.

I can't recall what the ending of that tale is all these years later - though I'm perfectly capable of doing that assistants job for them and telling the woman to leave. So I wouldnt be surprised if that is what I did do....

The parents have to "start on the right foot" from the outset and know when children should not be making noise and deal with them if they are.

Ha! Great story.

Allira Tue 16-Sept-25 22:49:37

I think it's a very unpleasant story.

Sueinkent Tue 16-Sept-25 22:52:14

After a while of screaming and giggling which I heard all the way round the shop, the laughter degenerated into grizzling and crying. I couldn’t help but have a teeny feeling of satisfaction. Am I bad? 😁

Sueinkent Tue 16-Sept-25 22:54:41

AmberGran

The Christmas before last I watched as two young girls (7-8 years old I would imagine) chased each other around a tower of fake presents in our local Boots. Another older woman looked at me and said 'This won't end well'. She videoed it on her camera until one of the girls got dizzy and fell onto the stack, and all the cardboard boxes fell on the girls. The girls screamed but weren't hurt, just shocked. Mum threw down the make up she was checking out and ran over, screaming at the shop assistants that the tower had fallen on her girls. The manager came over, also a bit shocked, and the video lady told her the girls had knocked it down while running round it. The Mum got very ansi and started screaming at the manager about the dangerous layout. The video lady got her camera out, and showed the manager the video of the girls knocking the tower over and calmly told the Mum that it was time the girls learned that shops are not playgrounds. She then gave her name and number to the manager incase she needed the video as proof. She was so calm and stately she reminded me of my first headmistress in infant school and I ended up in stitches. The Mum meanwhile was vying with the girls for who could make the most noise, obviously still shocked but probably also feeling guilty and now screaming at the girls as well as the manager. I left at that point to get away from the noise so no idea what became of it all.

Sorry I quoted the wrong post. I meant to quote this one.

Sueinkent Tue 16-Sept-25 22:55:16

Allira

I think it's a very unpleasant story.

I quoted the wrong one.🙄

Allira Tue 16-Sept-25 23:20:27

SueinKent 🙂
If my DC had knocked over the boxes, I'd have been mortified and made them pick them up again!

Having had a fretful baby I know you just can't keep them quiet. And libraries are not silent places, they are community hubs. There are quiet areas or rooms for those who want peace.

Babs03 Wed 17-Sept-25 07:23:26

I agree that a crying baby is a different matter and often mothers feel panicked by it and don’t know how to pacify the squirming little siren going off in the pram.
I can remember taking my GCs out in the pram and feeling peoples eyes upon me when they squawked.
Badly behaved children and adults are a different matter.

TheWeirdoAgain60 Wed 17-Sept-25 09:15:37

Then there are the disabled, slow and elderly people, these idiots could knock into or over.

That type really should be banned and fined heavily AND ordered to pay for any damages to stock, shelving, etc.!