I have to admit that this sign really tickled me and I can’t blame the management of this restaurant about their humor. One thing that irritates me, and I am sure countless others to no end, is seeing parents in a restaurant, doctor’s office, mall or other indoor establishments, letting their children wildly run free, playing all over the place. Yes, they’re kids, but there is a time and place for allowing them the fun and freedom to run around and play. Some people don’t say anything or ignore the fact that their kids are running across people, screaming while playing, climbing on things they shouldn’t and many other things. It’s called discipline, but some parents find offense and feel it’s rude when others speak to their children or correct them in times that the parents themselves fail to do it. Have you ever considered that the person said something because you are too oblivious in your own thoughts to realize that your “mini-me” has become a public nuisance? Personally, I don’t say anything to other people’s children, (well, I would perhaps to my nieces and nephews, but that’s it), but that doesn’t say that I haven’t had some thoughts or questioned someone’s ability to parent silently. Yes I know what some of you are thinking. “Are you even a parent yet? How can you say that when you have none of your own?” Well, here’s a newsflash for you sugar, common sense and respect for others does not involve rocket science. The mistake or common misconception that some parents make is to feel that just because someone else is not yet a parent, that they don’t know how to be one. Simply because a person isn’t a parent, does it mean that they are incapable of making sound decisions and/or judgments regarding children? Hmm, I’d better not get into that. It’s a touchy subject for some and could end up being another blog entirely.
It seems that many of the old values are gone now and kids aren’t taught to respect others space and how to behave themselves in public anymore. When I was a child, even the neighbors could correct you if they saw you doing something wrong. Then, on top pf that, they’d tell your parents that they had to correct you, (invoking an embarrassed, yet thankful response from the parents no doubt), and you’d land in trouble all over again! I remember back in the day,(not that I am old or anything…LOL), when all my mother had to do was give me that dreadful, horrible, fear inducing, all-knowing, mind-numbing, spine chilling thing of horror called…“the eye.” You know, that certain look that would silently say, “If you so much as THINK about being unruly in this place, I will make this a day you will truly regret!” I would sit there wide eyed in the car, swallowing hard as she proceeded to give me and my younger sister the normal spiel before entering a store, “Don’t ask for anything! Don’t touch anything! Don’t break anything! Stay beside me at all times and don’t leave my eyesight! Don’t cry for anything and you better not have a tantrum when I say ‘NO.’ Don’t even breathe too hard on anything because I have no money to pay for it!” Pretty much, you get the message. Momma didn’t play and we knew it! Trust me, we learned the hard way once, and that is ALL IT TOOK.
The former Comedian Robin Harris, (R.I.P), really struck a harmonious chord with people around the globe with his stand up routine, “Bey-Bey Kids.” It is a shame that we lost such a comedic great as suddenly as we did, shockingly and just when his star was beginning to rise. People could TRULY relate to everything he said and they were fed up of those untrained “test tube babies!” FINALLY, there was a voice that could speak to how people felt, but never wanted to mention what they REALLY thought about certain friends or family members’ children. His act was very popular and even garnered so much attention that it was given its own animated show featuring entertainer Tone Loc as the voice of one of the kids. The humor he brought may have been an exaggeration nonetheless, but it filled in the blanks for what so many had experienced with parents who didn’t train their children. God bless you Robin, you were one of the greats!
As I was thinking about random things, (yes, I often do…I think the nice people with the special “candy” medicine call it Adult Onset ADHD now, but back in the day, we were called “creative” 
- LOL), it occurred to me how funny it is when people who do not realize that others place their children in the same category as Bey-Bey Kids. Yes, those wonderful, sweet, loving little angels that they call their own, would die for, and couldn’t live without, are actually considered spawn from the depths of hell to other people. If you’re unsure whether your little “joy of my life” is among those considered to be a Bey-Bey Kid, (which would mean you’re Bey-Bey, of course), I’ve compiled a list to help you. Now mind you, although some of these statements may not hold true to every parent, that doesn’t mean you don’t fit the bill. It simply means that you may not be as bad off as others, but it still certainly isn’t a good thing. If you can find something related to your life as a parent in one or more of the statements below, you might be a Bey-Bey and you now where your kid(s) may fall in others eyes.
You might be Bey-Bey if:
- You and your child are not invited over very often (or at all) to some of your closest friends or family members homes.
- Those same people have never offered to babysit for you.
- You are well dressed, groomed to perfection with the latest designer fashions, but your child looks like the homeless and smells like they haven’t bathed all week.
- You are too busy being your child’s best friend instead of their parent.
- Friends don’t answer your calls on the weekends because they know you want them to babysit that unruly child.
- Talk is a buzz in social settings until the moment you and your precious cargo walk up to join…there is complete silence and awkward forced conversation.
- Your child had to be your designated driver coming home from the club this weekend.
- As you approach someone’s home to visit them, they sprinkle holy water everywhere you walk or put anointing oil everywhere you sit. There is so much oil, you wonder if they plan to cook you.
- People ask you repeatedly if your child is hyper and if you considered getting them “tested.”
- When people come to your home, they fidget and wonder how much longer they need to stay and try to come up with some plan to leave, only to find out that you’d like to join them.
- When you ask someone to babysit, people suddenly come up with a family emergency that comes up either out of the state or country, requiring travel. Later, you see them at the hottest party in town with that relative.
- Your child tells you that someone told them that, “I bet you get to see a lot of interesting things down there in the part of hell you’re from, huh?”
Ok, maybe that was a bit much, but you can’t tell me that some of it wasn’t true! LOL!
Shea
Feel free to add your randomness, believe me, it is welcome as long as it remains respectful and without offensive language. Since this is my first blog, I have no idea what I plan to write about and since I am a pretty spontaneous person, you will possibly find a bit of everything and anything in my writing. One day I may want to talk about the color of the moon and the next moment I want to talk about cultural diversity, but it will all be said so that I can look back and laugh at my personal thoughts. Hopefully we can enjoy the many ramblings that come from the minds of one another, spark uncontrollable bouts of contagious laughter, provoke thought, or even show emotional support. No matter the subject, I hope to make this blog one that can be enjoyed by many!
