#95 When that kid crying in the mall isn’t your kid

Neil Pasricha

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned holiday hissy fit in an elbow-to-elbow packed mall to help soothe your fraying nerves.

Whether it’s the snotty-nosed toddler wailing on Santa’s lap, the sweaty snowsuit screamer on the floor of the toys section, or just your everyday baby bawler yelling to the food court heavens, it doesn’t matter.

It’s just a migraine moment in the middle of mall mayhem.

And whether you’re taking care of your baby brother, babysitting the neighbors, or wheeling around your own mutant offspring, we’ve all been there. We all know the stress, we see the staring eyes, we all know the pain, and … we do sympathize.

But it’s still great when that kid crying in the mall just isn’t your kid.

Hark! The herald angels sing.

Glory to the kid free king.

AWESOME!

Photo from: here

28 thoughts to “#95 When that kid crying in the mall isn’t your kid”

  2. Nope, not mine… Mine are my 6 and 7-year-old niece and nephew, singing “YEAAAH – YOUR SEX IS ON FIRE” in the middle of the shopping centre. The centre apologised over the loud speakers for playing that song around kids. Good times, lol! To be honest, I feel really awful for parents who have to pick up their screaming kids – whether it be they’re having a tantrum or have gotten an injury, I really feel for the parents.

  3. Mine haven’t really acted up too much while we are out. There is always that one kid, no matter where you go, that makes you say, “I’m glad that’s not my kid.” Sounds bad, doesn’t it?
    My daughter has made some scenes and said some inappropiate things, but she’s never screamed and cried or threw a fit. I stopped that early on. ONE time, just one time, she was about 2, she threw herself on the floor in the middle of the store and started crying. So, I threw myself on the floor right beside her and started making the same noises. She stopped, gave me a really bad look and got up to walk away. That was the end of that.

    1. I love it! I really like kids and have babysat quite a few, but don’t have any of my own and am continuously amazed by the endurance and inventiveness of parents in dealing with tantrums!

  6. I have a little sister who is enough younger than me that when we’re out, I’m easily confused as her (young) mother. We would be out shopping together when she was in the temper-tantrum-in-the-store age, and I looked just a little too young to have a toddler. As soon as she started acting up, I was very quick to start saying very loudly “Where is your mother, let’s see if we can find her and she can help you feel better!”

    Not my kid ;-)

  7. You know who’ll start crying when all this ends? Not a little kid at Big W, but me :( I just wanted to say that everything is blocked on the computers at school so today I went on 1000 Awesome Things’ wikipedia page, and it said the last post will be on April 20 2012. That’s 18 weeks, 6 days and 30 minutes away :( I actually started tearing up. Sorry to crash the good mood folks, just wanted to share.

      1. Now that’s a positive observation, Bekah:)
        I took an on-line self-exploration/business course. *We* grew a community there. When it was over, it was like freakishly and ghostly totally over!
        I never even rec’d the grand prize- Animoto, I worked diligently on my design and had a *news flash* over!:(
        So, here’s the question I pose today: How can we hog-tie somebody in cyber-space? There must be a way! That, or else there are going to be MILLIONS of boys and girls, through the spectrum of ages, all over the world, looking alot like the one pictured above! I mean, I sure appreciate Neil’s discipline and how he is so a man of his word, but his mind must be changed on *the end* note. VERY SAD INDEED!

  10. i deffs posted this on my blog (the vdeo)… plus i have been posting awesome things from this blog on mine (reblogging).. I will be having an awesome challenge for the christmas break for those who r interested. Check out my blog…. my name is linked to my blog— click it!!

  13. It’s rare for me to speak out at length, but unfortunately I feel compelled to out of love.
    We live in an exciting world. It’s easy to get caught up in the details of this pop culture drama. It’s full of intrigue and sexy twists, but YOU know what is going on beneath the lightness and play. To the fine men and women in blue, remember that this is not about that winy cry baby who’s found herself in the less than pleasant position of being covered in mud and hurled into the center of the mob. She doesn’t like it here anymore than you do. She’s shaking like a kitten, but she’s standing firm, tears and all.

    What is this about? It is about protecting the citizens of our country. You ARE in no uncertain terms dealing with a highly organized, professional team of bullies here. Can we have a peaceful solution? If we were all willing to let go and offer 100%, lasting freedom for everyone involved then I’d say by all means.

    Ultimately, this is about more than the choice between ‘A’ or ‘B’, apples or oranges. ‘A’ may well be the ‘superior’ choice (although B is my personal preference. It just has such a lovely shape and personality) ;)
    But seriously, CHOICE itself is worth standing firm for. This is about basic freedoms. It’s about our freedom to love freely, regardless of social status and without threat or risk. This is about all citizens having the liberty to work and live in an environment of security, free from fear. Don’t think that closing your eyes to injustice now will achieve any lasting good. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best with the following quotes:

    “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

    “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”

  16. We need to open our eyes and hearts. Have compassion for what has come to be so toxic- “getting malled”. Here’s what makes the children cry.
    Please read this article and consider supporting this awesome organization.
    By joining the empathic parenting; CSPCC forces, we can truly set us free.
    “And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.”
    http://consumerism.ca/

  17. Similar is when working at a summer camp and walking around the mall on your day off you realise that none of the kids are your responsibility! :D

  19. Pingback: » The Story of Seats 2 & 3 – The Ultimate Upcycle Challenge RECREATED

Comments are closed.