Things I Hate (Parents Version)

When was the last time I did the things I hate thingy? 2 years back? Here it goes again, my whines about stupid, inconsiderate parents whom I think they need training to be parents.

1. Lost And Still Get Scolded
The other day, my mum and I were at Clementi central. This kid, around 3-4 years of age, was walking and walking ALONE! We decided to follow her, just in case she wanders off onto the road or something. At the same time, we were calling out to her, "小妹妹 (little girl), mummy leh? 你要去哪里? (where do you want to go)" But she just kept walking and walking. She then stopped suddenly and started to walk back towards where we first saw her. My mum followed while I went to bank in money. My mum and the girl saw her mum and her mum wanted to beat saying, scolding her where she had gone to. My mum say don't beat her because she is already so scared. But the lady ignored my mum and continued scolding her. The little girl scolded back, "你去哪里? Ch** b**, ch** b**!" When my mum heard that, she got a shock. The lady never said any kinda thank you words to my mum for helping her find/ look after her child and left with the little girl. I think she was embarrassed.

2. Go Play
Well, these parents don't really care about their children's safety. I was at the bus interchange the other day. This kid kept holding onto a horizontal piece of a metal barricade (that help form the queue lines), swinging himself left and right, at the edge of the kerb. What if he falls and loses his balance? The kid was stepping up and down the kerb too!
These kids can also be seen swinging themselves around the poles in MRTs, dashing around the supermarket with trolleys, running around in the foodcourt, etc. Don't they know MRT can sudden brake at times? Don't they know that being knocked by a trolley can hurt? Don't they know that there are people carrying around hot piping food and if your kid is not careful and knock into such a person, he/she may get scalded?
I understand kids are playful and restless by nature. As parents, you should decide if a place is safe enough for them to run around! And it's definately not a foodcourt.

3. Punish Me, Not My Kid
A very good example was this teenager who punched the bus driver and the dad told everyone to punish him instead. To a certain extent, I agree that if the kid misbehaves, it means that the parents did not bring him/her up properly. However, if this kid does not get his punishment, he will not learn.
Spare the rod and spoil the child? It depends if your child listens to the rotan or listens to reasonings.

4. Son, You Are The One
A few days back, this judge granted custody of the kids to the mum because the dad would not be a good role model. You know what this dad did? He used his son's name to "sex chat" online.
Kids somehow will try to behave how their parents behave. I often see my mum put on makeup and tried to do so myself when no one's loking when I was younger. I ended up with Ronald MacDonald's lips and had eyes as though as they were punched. Being a good role model for your kid is very important.