Some people’s kids: our Children’s Museum experience
We pulled into the parking garage on a Sunday morning, eager to fill our child’s head with educational and inspirational experiences. After hurriedly shoving our belongings in the “travel stroller” with lackluster storage space and snapping Bean into her seat, we made the journey through the skyway system to what was sure to be the best experience of Bean’s educational life to date. And then, we saw the line.
My husband said that he had never seen a line for the Children’s Museum (he works just a short walk from it) and that this was out of the ordinary. Just our luck. And then one of the “volunteers” corralling the helpless parents, who don’t care how long the wait is they WILL be letting their little balls of energy burn off steam at the Children’s Museum, announces that they’re letting in a group each time a certain amount leave “so that the children have room to experience the exhibits”. In other words, they’re at capacity. I guess it’s a weekend in chilly Minnesota, but at capacity? Really?
Turns out, every 3rd Sunday (which is when we randomly decided to take Bean) is free, donations encouraged of course. It all made sense once we found that out. Luckily, we arrived before the line got unbearable. We only waited about 15 minutes to view the crowded exhibits and expose Bean to how cruel the kid world can be.
First, she got a taste of what it’s like to have a kid twice your age and size barrel towards you down the slide when you’re trying to get up and out of the way. To this day, when we ask her what she remembers about the Children’s Museum she replies, “Hurt you.” Not to mention the time that she was carefully climbing up the ropes next to the slide when a brother and sister team decided to block the way and kick her in the face as she helplessly looked back at me.
“[random bratty kid’s name that I don’t remember], be careful…” I heard from behind me. Not “Don’t kick her in the face, she was climbing up first and you don’t go down the climbing ropes.”
Do I sense a mama bear in me rearing it’s head? Is this a sign of what’s to come? Goodness gracious. It took a lot of self control not to give those kids a lesson in manners. And can I please tell you about when she was taking her turn to go down a slide when a girl older than her decided it was her turn instead, so she pushed her out of the way with a heavy shove and a “smirk on her face” (as my husband recalls). All the while this little angel’s dad was oblivious. What is wrong with people?
I’m not saying Bean is anywhere near a perfectly well-behaved child. She doesn’t quite get the sharing concept, and when she has something set in her mind it’s hard to ease her out of it. But when it comes to slide etiquette and being nice to other kids, she definitely made me proud. And you better believe if she was acting as mean to those kids as they were to her, I would have been reprimanding her on the spot for not being nice. This whole experience has made me a little nervous for what’s to come with her school days.
I've had run ins with kids multiple times at children's museums / events. I just can't help but tell them off when they throw a handful of pieces of tire at my kids or push past them in line!
I have an almost three year old boy and while I'm not saying he's perfect, either, I'm saying he's sweet. I'm saying he is gentle and kind and not one of those nightmare boys you tend to encounter on playgrounds who push and play guns and think it's funny to knock smaller kids off of the tops of the playground structure. Anyway, we're constantly going to museums and events and parties and without fail, my poor little guy is always somehow bullied or hurt by one of these monster kids. And there is nothing that makes me want to “mama bear” the crap out of these kids than having my son crawl up on my lap and say “my feelings are hurt, mommy. I feel so sad.” Not always, but usually the parents are just oblivious and haphazardly watching from the sidelines. I always feel like the only mom actually there with my kid playing with my kid and supervising everyone else's kid in the process. It's hard. I never know what I'm allowed to say to someone else's kid or when to go tell another parent that their kid is a total creep, especially when no one else seems to care. 🙁
I work with kids daily, {birth-5th grade, depending on which of my two jobs I'm at}, this is not about the children. This is 100% about parenting. As you said, your child is not perfect, no one is!…and if left to our own devices we will do what we think is in our best interest, when parents stop being parents we have chaos! Our current society is in a weird version of Lord of the Flies, but the parents are on the island, they just happen to be watching their children self destruct without do anything about it!
As a parent, as an Early Childhood Director, as a former child, I choose to step in and parent other people's children when they are hurting others and themselves {they are hurting themselves by being horrid people}, I will tell children who have cut in line at the slide, to go back and apologize, if they came barreling down a slide that another child was still on, I would step over to them and explain, that they need to wait otherwise they may hurt another, smaller, child. And if I EVER saw a child kick another child {mine or someone else's} I would walk over and have a nice firm discussion with them about how that is NOT how we treat people! The goal in parenting is not to raise children, but to raise adults, and you need to help these children realize that in the real world hurting someone else to get something you want is 100% against the law!
If/when I am talking with a child about their inappropriate behavior and their parent shows up, I will tell them the same thing, your child just hurt this child, and they can't be allowed to do that! Just because you choose to ignore your child's bad behavior doesn't me I will.
Such great photos and it looks like you guys had a great time!
She is so precious. Poor thing going through that, when everyone should be able to have fun and enjoy. I honestly believe that children follow their parents behavior, and from what you said about the one parent, it seems true.