Exactly. It’s easy to hide behind a screen name and make yourself look badass by all your stories of picking in little guys. Funny, though, I have never had a tough guy feel the need to correct my parenting or something they felt I was doing wrong. It does gives me great comfort to know all of the perfect parents on FR are watching me and my wife, ready to straighten us out if we don’t meet their high standards.
They and you, fail to see that YOUR ACTIONS, or lack of action, affects those around you.
You inflict your brats upon others and expect us to just meekly sit by and allow it.
If the parents would HAVE BEEN parents, in the first place, the issue never would have arisen.
YOU like the other @$$holes, fail to grasp a very important point. When they left, the manager did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for them.
He did, come over to me and take my check and apologize for the inconvenience, with out me saying anything to anybody.
In other words, that kid-your kid...those parents-you, were being disruptive to the entire restaurant. Repeated attempts were made in a genteel manner, to address the issue, ie. eye contact, hairy eyeball and yet they went unheeded, that left the less genteel route. The "parents" and the unruly brat left. Hopefully offended enough never to return. Leaving the other customers to enjoy the meal for which the paid for and expected.
I don't go around looking to correct other peoples kids. I understand very well that kids will be kids. I WAS somewhat...a problem child. I probably would have been classified ADHD today. BUT my parents kept a short reign on me. Plenty of notes home from school and phone calls from teachers, resulted in plenty of spankings.
I spent YEARS volunteering with youth at church. I was/am an adult who is in touch with his inner child, and I draw that out from others around me. But as an ADULT, I also know when to curb that. I had some great men in my life, at church, who guided me along. Who allowed me to be me and still loved me enough to be tough with me, when needed.
All that to say, I'm very experienced with difficult kids. I WAS ONE. Because of the men in my life, I learned how to deal with kids like me and did so for many years. HUNDREDS of kids.
I don't presume that I know all the answers, but I have enough experience to read the vast majority of behavioral issues.
You said earlier:
Wow. You are my hero. How tough that must have made you feel.
It wasn't about me feeling tough or about my ego. I'm 6 foot, 280 lbs. I've had numerous times, been asked if I ever played pro football. I also have a kind of take charge/ lets go/ lets do this, attitude. I have been told NUMEROUS times, that when I walk into a room, people notice. That I have a certain air about me, that commands attention. Its not about me ACTING this way. Its a natural part of my person. It's that inner ADHD energy that I had to learn to channel.
Because of my personality, I have a tendency to be less hesitant about things. Where others balk, I just move forward.
Couple my personality with my much larger than average size and it has bearings on how others view me, interact and respond to me.
The vast majority of the time, when I consciously "throw my weight around", it's to help others along. They may be tentative to do something, I just go ahead and do it and they follow. Works 90% of the time. The other 10%, I get done what needed to be done.
The restaurant was just such a time. Myself and others were being annoyed. I got tired of being genteel and tentative, so I took charge of the situation.
When I said "somebody needs a spankin", it wasn't done angrily or intimidating. I said it jovially, but matter of fact. It was the wife who decided to escalate the situation to a confrontation.
Well, man OR woman, you take something to a confrontation, you either better have the horse power to back it up, or the fortitude to handle the repercussions.
The woman went into all out b!tch mode. Sorry...that don't sit well with me. Maybe Melvin Milquetoast is her husband, that ain't me. Someone wants to throw attitude around with me, I generally have more than enough of my own to handle it.
That's when the "husband" decided to step in. Hey...if he would have stepped in earlier, the situation would have never arisen in the first place. He decided he wanted to suddenly grab the pants from either his wife or child and "prove" his fortitude. He didn't have the fortitude to deal with a 28 pound 4 year old child, in the best of circumstances, he's not going to suddenly have the fortitude to handle a 280 pound adult. Which was QUICKLY proven, when the wife grabbed the pants back from him.
Next you said:
"I would say you are lucky you picked the right guy. Some of us would not have been impressed with your tough guy act and accepted your invitation to discuss it outside.
Of course I imagine you knew there was little chance you would have to back it up.
Listen cupcake!
I was just relating my story.
I wasn't looking for a confrontation then...I just wanted to enjoy my meal in a relatively nice atmosphere, which I paid for.
And I'm not looking for one now.
I don't need or want some internet warrior trying to throw the gauntlet of his manhood in front of me.
Yeah...your a tough guy.
If I would have said that to you, you would have taken me outside...
Yeah...OKAY...(yawn)...you proved your tough...
Now move along...
I wasn't talking to you in the first place.
Go play tough guy, on the internet, somewhere else.