This weekend, some friends and I went target shooting. Two guys brought their sons. One boy was an absolute pleasure-fun, responsible, good humored and tough. The other boy, who was younger, was a whiney brat who got in the way and ended up crying and annoying everyone else.
I don't have kids yet and my wife and I want a few, but sometimes, when I have to hang around brats, I strongly consider surgery.
In the brat's defense, though, his dad is a wus too and shouldn't have come with us either.
Well, that's what happens when the parents don't provide consequences for bad behavior. On the other hand, certain things are just kids being kids (i.e. overturning drinks). The trick is to differentiate between truly unacceptable behavior and simple kid stuff. Parents should also know what venues are and are not appropriate for their children.
That being said, I cannot stand people who like to cluck their tongues and roll their eyes when I am discplining my child who may be acting up. I've had plenty of dirty looks from people who were watching as I removed my child from a store or restaurant because they wouldn't behave appropriately. Actually, one lady tried to tell me I was being mean because I wasn't allowing him to throw a tantrum in public. How weird.
If you don't have kids, or if the children in question are not yours, please don't criticize what a parent does to correct the behavior. (Unless we're talking outright abuse or neglect, which is defintely an exception. )