That’s Some Real Concrete Parenting Right There

A woman comes into my store with three small children in tow. Almost immediately, she abandons them to their own devices and wanders away to shop, leaving the kids screaming, running, and hitting each other with merchandise. I get on the intercom and make an announcement about how “for their own safety, children must be attended by adults at all times.”

My coworker eventually tracks down the mother, who begrudgingly stays a bit closer to her kids, but they continue acting up. I finally confront her.

Me: “Ma’am, this floor is solid concrete. They can’t be running. If they fall, they will seriously hurt themselves.”

Mother: “Oh, well, let them. Then maybe they’ll learn.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.