RUDE little snowflakes . . .

[Magpie]

Unfortunate?

You speak like we just met children for the first time.

I've raised my son and 4 nieces and nephews, and 3 cousins. I've been around children my whole life. That was not an UNFORTUNATE statement, that was a learned thought. Calling something or someone UGLY is not the same as asking "what's that on your face?" You expect curiosity from children, NOT nastiness.

Children are the most altruistic people alive. They WANT to love and find good. When they stray they have to know there are consequences. I knew BEFORE I opened my mouth. The problem with some children is they KNOW they won't be chastised so they rumble on like unsupervised whatevers, mainly because "momma" and "poppa" is afraid to teach them how to act. Believe me, my sister was the child from HECK but even she was limited by my parents' rules.

Yep, my daughter learned it from other children, and passed on the loveliness to another child. I taught her that we don't do that, and explained why, and challenged her to consider that if it hurts when it's done to her, then why on earth would she do it to another person?

As for my use of the word "unfortunate", I suspect we're running into a cultural misunderstanding here. I used it in the same way I'd say a knock down drag out brawl was a "bit of a tiff".

And as for your sister - how could you possibly know she was the "child from HECK" unless she occasionally acted like it?

The child who called her granny "idiot" didn't get away with anything - she was called on it immediately by an older person (a 19yo looks like an adult to a 6yo). So how can we really conclude anything about her as a person, or even know whether she's ever been punished for anything, based on this snapshot? Imagine what people on this board would have said about YOUR parents if your sister had ever had one of her "from HECK" moments when they weren't around, and someone had posted about it?

When it comes to young children, I prefer to withhold judgment.

 

[Magpie]

I don't agree with the highlighted words, either. I think compassion is inborn in some people, completely absent in others. Both can be taught to be better or worse by the wrong and right people.

I think compassion is inborn in relatively few people, and they are special people indeed.

Very young children are inherently selfish creatures, focussed more on their own needs than on anyone else's. They fear anything that's strange, which makes sense because what's strange might be dangerous. I was just watching a documentary that was saying that racism might very well be inborn, and that we have to be taught to see all human beings as part of "our family".

We have to choose to civilize ourselves, and our children.

Shoot, anyone who's ever spent any time on a playground knows how vicious children can be, even kids from very nice, respectable families. They're works in progress.

 

[Tikitoi]

What is this world coming to?

A growing world of disrespectful kids.

 

[Tink888]

I think it is rude to call children "snowflakes".

A thread title where an adult calls a child a name about a child who calls an adult a name.

Maybe name calling is only rude when the children are doing it. Or only if it's someone you know. Or don't belong to the church and didn't go to VBS for the entire week.

 

[Jennasis]

Today a grandfather brought his granddaughter to my farm for a riding lesson. The girl's little sister (5?) was with them. She wanted soda from the machine but grandpa needed change from me to get it (only had a $10). So while I was opening the machine to get change for him, the little girl apparently thought grandpa wasn't doing things fsat enough or whatever for her liking, so she hauled off and kicked him in the leg and called him "Stupid!"

I looked at her and said "I don't allow kicking at on my property. Not from the horses and not from people either."

She just stared blankly at me. Grandpa bought her soda.

 

[Magic Mom]

Unfortunately most kids act that way in this day and age. Too much sugar and TV.

eh...no.

 

[Wishing on a star]

There are some bona-fide stories of snowflakes and rudeness here on the DIS right now!!! I am just not so sure that this is one of them.

Sorry, but I think that huge majority of little kids have said things during frustration or meltdown, and have heard and repeated words (from whatever the source)

My husbands parents, have a couple of doozies to tell about DH and words he picked up from an adult neighbor....
And, even my son... granted he was younger than six... But once when he was severely frightened by a hyper dog, he exclaimed something that would make you go And, in no way was I a lame parent or a parent who is raising a snowflake.

I don't think that one word, or 10 second episode, is enough to start the parent bashing.

Many examples here clearly warrant judgment...
I am just not convinced that this is one of them.

 

[kelleyrn2000]

I'm not sure it's fair to judge the child as being a "snowflake" after one behavior . While I agree the behavior was inappropriate and embarrassing, it doesn't mean the parents are bad parents. I know words have come out of my dd mouth at home on occasion that are forbidden in our house, including "stupid," "idiot" and "hate". We do not model this language in front of her.

 

[C.Ann]

I've heard tv and/or sugar blamed for a lot of things, but this is the first time I've heard that it will cause a 6 yr. old child to call their grandma "idiot"..
I think that's a bit of a stretch..

If it was a first time incident, hopefully the child was corrected.. If such name calling occurs on a regular basis, I would be looking at many possibilities - tv and sugar being the last on a very, very long list..