Screaming, swearing toddler!!

[elfmay]

We were sat on the bus late last night.
There was this 2-3 year old little boy he kept screaming and swearing, all his mother said don't worry were be home soon and you can have some sweeties then.. This was 10:45 at night!
One Lady passenger said "he needs a good smack not sweeties this time of night" the mother replied
Mind you own business you f----ing old bag! Have you had any similar experiences and how did you deal with them?

[redcrx]

similar experiences to whom? The mother who may have had a long day and be suffering with a normal tantrum throwing toddler and not pleased to be told how to bring up her child or the woman who thought she was helping and didnt expect the verbal abuse from the mother.

Its a shame that you dont know the background really. My son is in bed by 7,30 but occasionally there are times when his routine is disrupted due to circumstances and he is a terror. If thepromise of sweeties calmed him down a bit then id certainly say it.

If this mother was a 'bad mum', and mistreating her child and the passenger knew as such then id agree with the passenger for saying something, but if you dont know the circumstances you cant pass comment on that situation really.

[Mr Tall]

I watched Supernanny the other night, well the missus was watching and I didn't really have a choice. But was thinking that if my kid was that miss-behaved I'd have trouble controlling my temper now I'm quite worried that when we decide to have kids I'm gonna beat them.

[MrBen5]

Hmmm, seems natural behaviour for a kid at that time of night. Like redcrx says, she might have been working hard and had to pick her child up. Also, i dont think anyone would like to be told how to bring their child up...

[eyeshade]

I wouldn't say this is normal behaviou is it??? Even when I and my children were tired, swearing was not an option. Children should have respect for their parents and it is up them to instil this in their children. Doesn't matter what the circumstances are, if they swear at the parents then you can be sure as anything they will be acting up to everyone else. The sweets that late at night will only make him/her even more hyper and won't do any good for their little body either. My mum bought 4 children up on her own, we never swore, hit or abused her but then she bought us up properly with rules and boundaries.

[redcrx]

eyeshade, i meant the overall behaviour of a tired toddler was normal, not the swearing (thats not acceptable in my book either).
We still dont know the background to what led up to the swearing so still cant comment on anything other than the other passengers interference which is obvious.

And how do we know the promise of sweets wasnt a last ditch attempt to quieten the child rather than an actual intention? If the mother had started to smack the child I wonder how many passengers would then start commenting on a mother hitting a child and how appalling that was.

[eyeshade]

Mm. but that didn't happen, mum didn't smack. Perhaps then the offer of sweets that don't turn up would leave the child even more miffed. Still don't think it is right for child to be screaming and swearing at 2/3 years? come on. I wouldn't have known a swear word at that age let alone broadcast it on the bus. Well, sign of the times perhaps.

[MrBen5]

Maybe the child had tourettes syndrome...

[Goodsoulette]

You cant do right when you have your kids out in public. When your child throws a tantrum and you cant do anything about it, people walk past saying "he needs a smack". Yet if you actually smacked them in town, they would be also be the first to be gasping and saying lookk at that.

No child deserves a smack, what good does it achieve. I would have been just like that woman on the bus..

Whilst shopping at the supermarket I did see a man give his toddler a slap round the head for picking something out of the trolley. I called him a C**k.

As for the swearing if you make a big deal out of it with a toddler they hang on to it and carry on doing so to get a reaction.

[redcrx]

I dont think its right for a child to be swearing at any age. But most children scream, more so when tired, or ill or in pain.
Id rather try to settle the child by distraction, like her offer of sweets at home, and deal with it at home than smack my child.
Its sad that the mother replied the way that she did by swearing but its also a shame to hear the passenger recommend a smack.

[ELVIS68]

The worse thing that p!sses me off with parents is those who allow their kids to travel with no-seatbelts, more so if they themselves are wearing them, I feel so strongly about this that if I`m at traffic lights and I see someones kids with no seat belts, I tell them I`m off duty and I`d have nicked them otherwise, just to prevent a mouthful of abuse, I`m not a copper but it does work, lol

As for calling a parent a C**k.....What if the kid picks up on that and calls him one?...Punch on the nose?

[noxlumos]

You should not hit children, plain and simple, nor should you pass comment and attempt to publicly denigrate a person who has a child who is misbehaving in public, so the person who suggested the smack was wrong on a great number of counts and very rude to have commented at all in my opinion.The mother however should not have sworn at ehr clearly. My son Ciaran is 4 and as he is suspected ASD he can suffer from "sensory overload" when in a confined space with strangers and has a couple of times really lost the plot. Perhaps this little boy may be the same? In that case it most certainly was not a sign of bad behaviour, just a symptom of an illness, and I'd be furious of anyone challenged me about it in such a manner.
As for being on a bus at 10.45, there may be a really good reason for that and I don't see how it's relevant to be honest.

[Goodsoulette]

I need to point out that the child was no where near talking age. We were in a shop so I mouthed it but there was no mistaking it. He felt ashamed and with any luck he realised that he shouldnt be doing it.

[ELVIS68]

goodsoulette.......So the kid was nowhere near talking age yet he got a slap round the head, also you mouthed the word C**k .....perhaps he thought you were coming on to him

[Goodsoulette]

lol...Elvis, maybe I will try that technique when I am out tomorrow. I was very shocked that someone would hit such a young kid.