Children Behave. A Train Out Of Control.6/14/2025

 Good Morning,

I am enjoying a hot cup of Door County Heroes Blend Coffee as I begin to write this morning. 

I have written about this once before back in the day and it seems as if I need to vent a little today. 

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old , he will not depart from it. 

Yesterday I had to make a couple of trips to the local grocery store and I know it won't be the last time I enter into the grocery arena in this life time, but I hope my experience will be different. 

                                     

During an excursion to the store a person could interact with many people and mostly have a decent experience with pleasantries being exchanged and kind behaviors observed. This was not the case yesterday. Now, before you tune me out and judge this old guy as one who doesn't like children, understand that this really isn't the case. I like kids and most of the time they like me as well.

Yesterday was an exception to this. In aisle 4 of the store I encountered a mother and her four children. Three of them were roaming outside of the cart and the youngest baby rode in a cart. The baby inside the cart will was asleep. How that could happen I will never know. The other three ranged in ages of 3-6 years old would be my guess. 

Friends I have seen better behavior at riots. These three were running up and down the aisles, well out of the eyesight of their mother. They had created one mess already with a jar of jam. They were yelling and not listening to their overwhelmed mother at all. There could be a million reasons as to why the kids were out of control and raising a ruckus. So before I judged and went off at the oldest one for driving the cart and just missing my knees (another story for another time) . I dodged the out of control cart and child like a pro football half back. I am sitting here actually proud of those moves. I feel like I also saved the baby from a crash with the shelving. 

I took a deep breath and asked "Mom" if it would be easier for her if she gave me a list of things she needed. I would go and fetch them all and she could have a seat in an area with some chairs. I even offered to pay for some sugar free ice cream bars for her and the kids while I shopped for her. There was no way those kids were getting any sugar from me. 

Mom, refused my offer and a couple of other folks shook their heads and went on with their business. Mom was not polite and let me know that her kids needed to unwind a little and their behavior was acceptable to her. Again I don't know their circumstances so it is not fair of me to judge. I am not advocating for spanking kids, but when children interact with others, the expectation is that they shouldn't be a danger. Unwinding is meant for a park, or back yard not in a place of business, yelling and screaming and running wild. 

So I moved quickly to the other side of the store and finished my business and exited. This morning I find myself praying for this young lady and her children. I know what would have happened to me if my siblings and I had behaved like that "back in the day" somehow I believe Dad would have been involved later as well. 

Their behavior seemed not to bother mom at all. Trust me when I say "out of control". As I left the store a manager was chatting with the young lady telling her the list of complaints she received from a few folks about her children's behavior and since this hasn't been the first time she was talked to, she should not bring her children into the store. The answer from the young lady was sharp and to the point. She stated and I quote. " Look I pay a lot of money to shop here and I will take my business elsewhere." I did not hear an apology or an excuse. 

So again I am wondering what is going on in their lives and I am trying not to judge as to why she tolerated that type of behavior. 

Children will be children and not always on their best behavior. We should try and expect good behavior from them, and keep them from damaging property, and endangering others. It was said that it takes a village to train up a child. I believe that to be true. But most behaviors are formed in the home. This villager tried but failed. 

Enough said.

Marty