next »

[tenured_cat]

When I moved here, the neighbor's kids (three boys, about 12 to 14) ran through my yard (fence had holes in it), and one night came into my yard and threw things against my window. So, here I am, 11 pm, in bathrobe, slippers, and gripping an iron bar, yelling at them to get off my property. Their mom was outside their door and chased them in. Silly me, I thought she might drag them over here to apologize. No.

A couple of weeks later, they come through my yard again - I run out and yell at one of them, in detail, that I considered this trespassing and harassment and would call the police next time. He says he's sorry and he gets the "mom voice" (also known as "cop voice" when done by folks in uniform) back: "Do NOT sorry me! Do. you. understand?!" "Yes, ma'm!" Nobody came through anymore and the fence is now fixed.

Today, one of them came to my door and very courteously asked if he could retrieve a lost frisbee from my yard. Of course he could; there was a "please" and a "thank you" and permission asked - and, of course, granted. We will repeat as (if) necessary.

Do not engage in conversation, do not permit talk-back, excuses, whining, or any other assumption that there might be wiggle-room. Undisciplined children do not, mysteriously, become responsible, caring, courteous adults on their 18th birthday. Too many parents are scared to scar the little dears for life if they ever tell them "no" (read the child-rearing magazines about "just redirect their attention"). If they invade your space, tell them off. Immediately. Loudly. Firmly.

BTW, the "mom voice" is acquired by any female who
a) wants to survive a birthday party with ten three-year olds,
b) needs to control a classroom full of entitled, helicopter-parent raised, "why do I have to read/learn/know this" whiny undergraduates, or
c) is faced with any misguided male who thinks that he's any deity's gift to womankind, academia, and the world at large (see Fiona's thread "Professorial? Men Who Explain Things").

[Thank you for giving me the opportunity to post something mean! This is post 666!!!]

[dr_stones]

Take a big needle and deflate their ball.

heheheh

Big needle hell .... Big Knife, like a Mick Dundee knife.

[nanoo]

Secretweapon, dress up like Supernanny (she's Bri'ish!) and tell them off. Those kids will have to learn sooner or later that such tactics don't work well outside of the neighborhood domain. Give them some tough love in the form of not letting them push you around.

[scheherazade]

Damn.  I would have been in that kid's face so fast...do NOT talk to me like that!  Do you understand me?  Because I promise you, if you plan on playing around my house, I can and will make your life miserable.  If you want respect from me, you better learn to speak to me with the proper attitude.  Now get the hell out of the street in front of my house before I call the cops!

<walk away still mumbling - talk to me that way...don't know what you're thinking...evil eye to kids...like I'd be scared of you, little girl...mumble mumble evil eye door slam>

Hey, want me to come over and take care of them?  It'd be fun.  I've already scared away the skater vandals from my neighborhood, and I'm a little bored.

[althea]

These obnoxious children often grow up to be obnoxious adults. I saw a segment of 60 minutes that discussed the attitudes of 20 something workers. Apparently, the companies hiring these overgrown children cater to their whims and put up with their complete lack of responsibility because these characters will quit if they are not treated as entitled persons. These are not McJobs either. The companies want to hang on to these workers and so think up ways to keep them entertained and happy. I don't get why these idiots aren't just fired. Companies can't be so desperate for employees. Here in Canada, you are lucky to have a job and it is not easy to find a job that pays even half decently.

Althea

Althea

[tenured_feminist]

While the parents probably have something to do with the attitude, it may not necessarily be so. One time, my son and his buddy were playing outside and took it into their brainless heads to start chucking sticks at cars. Very unfortunately for them, one of the cars belonged to a grownup who recognized my son's friend. The grownup called his mom on a cell phone, his mom called me, and the little hoodlums both got read riot acts from both mothers that impressed them mightily. My son's younger sibs still remind him of that from time to time when they want to get under his skin. All this is a long way of saying that even the most lenient parent of a hellion may get the message if informed of hu's precious angel's misdeeds directly by multiple other adults.

If you don't have a mom voice handy, a plagiarist-chastening voice will do nicely as a substitute. You know, the one where you've got the little wretch red-handed in your office and you want to see gushing rivers of tears of contrition and guilt.

[infopri]

The trick to the mom voice is to go low, not high.  Squealing in excitement/anger/whatever never does the trick.  Go low.  Lower the pitch, speak slowly and deliberately and articulately, and project your voice, rather than raising it.

Works great in the classroom, too.

[anthroid]

Infopri has it exactly right.  You also must look directly at the child with an unwavering stare, a blank face (frowning doesn't actually help), and with your hands very, very still--as if you're doing your very best to control your wish to throttle the snowflake.

[jrscholar]

I can understand how kids can get under your skin.  I was at the park the other day with my 19-month-old who was fascinated by the shovels and buckets the older (4-5 year olds) had.  I did my best to keep him from grabbing the shovels, telling him we don't touch other people's things.  About the third time I did this (my son, mind you, had not even touched their stuff once), one of the little brats angels started taunting: "Go away little baby!  Leave us alone!" and shooting him dirty looks.  Jr. jrscholar, of course, had no idea what they were saying, but I just wanted to pop them one for being so bratty. 

Don't even get me started about the five-year-old in the mall playland who pushed my (then 13-month-old) son out of the way while he was playing with the spinning letters.  I was about ready to throw that one at his seemingly-powerless grandmother.  That was also the day I heard another dad tell his (obviously too-big for the playland) son to hit another child for giving him grief.  Nice.