Bad Dads
It's been awhile since I saw a bad dad in public.
I mean, it's hard to tell just by looking at them. You have to wait until they actually start parenting to see their lack of skills, and there are way too many dads who don't even bother.
So, I was in an outdoors store, browsing through the fleece vests (to replace the one that melted on me in the bonfire), when I saw this dad come into the store with his two boys, who looked to be around 4 and 6.
The dad started looking at snowshoes, or kayaks, or something. The two boys apparently got restless and wandered about 30 feet away to look at some funny t-shirts. Out of dad's eyesight, but not out of earshot.
After a few minutes, he finally noticed they weren't standing next to him. He said, "Boys, where are you?"
They answered immediately, with a quiet, "Here."
The dad walked over to the rack of funny t-shirts, looked down at the boys, put his hands on his hips, and said, very loudly, "You know you're not supposed to just wander off, right?"
Here comes the bad dad part.
Then he said, again very loudly, "Okay, square up so I can kick you in the nuts for being idiots."
And then he actually pretended to kick them both in the crotch.
On the list of Bad Dad offenses, this one's certainly not horrible. But still, I'm reasonably sure that a threat to "kick you in the nuts" is not the best way to teach a lesson to young children.
I mean, it's hard to tell just by looking at them. You have to wait until they actually start parenting to see their lack of skills, and there are way too many dads who don't even bother.
So, I was in an outdoors store, browsing through the fleece vests (to replace the one that melted on me in the bonfire), when I saw this dad come into the store with his two boys, who looked to be around 4 and 6.
The dad started looking at snowshoes, or kayaks, or something. The two boys apparently got restless and wandered about 30 feet away to look at some funny t-shirts. Out of dad's eyesight, but not out of earshot.
After a few minutes, he finally noticed they weren't standing next to him. He said, "Boys, where are you?"
They answered immediately, with a quiet, "Here."
The dad walked over to the rack of funny t-shirts, looked down at the boys, put his hands on his hips, and said, very loudly, "You know you're not supposed to just wander off, right?"
Here comes the bad dad part.
Then he said, again very loudly, "Okay, square up so I can kick you in the nuts for being idiots."
And then he actually pretended to kick them both in the crotch.
On the list of Bad Dad offenses, this one's certainly not horrible. But still, I'm reasonably sure that a threat to "kick you in the nuts" is not the best way to teach a lesson to young children.
Permalink posted by Idaho Dad at 1:50 PM
14 Comments:
that's when my tongue bleeds from being bitten so hard.
Talk about transferring your own fears to your children...
If he wants his discipline to be effective he needs to stop warning them.
Poor kids!! Talk about public humiliation. He failed as a Dad in my books too.
If the kids were as quiet and well-behaved as you said, you have to wonder if he's hurting them when not in public.
I'm going thru my reader delurking today.
As parents I think we all have our questionable moments we won't be proud of. But this guy needed a little swift kick somewhere to make him realize how he should and shouldn't speak to his kids.
I'm going thru my reader delurking today.
I understand today is National Delurking Day, when all good bloggers get down on their knees to beg for comments from their shy readers.
I will do no such thing. It strikes me as desperate and pathetic.
Instead, I will give something away to the 100th commenter. Something really, really nice. I just need to reach 100 comments, or beat Dan's total. Whichever's higher.
His dad probably did that to him.
I clicked on the linky over at Dan's..and as I stated I'm not a regular lurker anywhere ..I'm forced to comment.
Kicking your sons in the balls (for real) has to have a deeper meaning of low self respect, it means you don't want grandchildren, your family tree must end here.
He should've left em be as long as they weren't causing trouble.
"desperate and pathetic"
HEY! I resemble that remark!
desperate and pathetic
It's not working for me, either. Time to give away iPods. ;)
yesterday at the CdA library a dad came into the children's area YELLING at his kids....it looked as if they had come to play on the computers instead of going home....felt so bad for the kids! How embarassing for them....
Someone should "pretend" to kick Dad in the nuts.
Wow, that is awful. Even when I think I have been a terrible dad, I've never pantomimed slugging 'em in the nuts. That's brutal!
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