The good and the bad of Christmas shopping

[wvjules]

The bad -

While in Target there was this screaming 6 (?) year old boy. His mother was pulling him by the arm through the aisles and carrying him other times. He would get away and run away screaming. She would chase him down and caryy him screaming again. We moved to a different part of the store...they were right behind us! Finally we couldn't take it anymore and just left our stuff and headed back to the front. Somehow they managed to beat us to the front of the store and were up there shopping. It was time to go home! Honestly, you could hear the kid all throughout the store. When your kid is having that bad of a meltdown TAKE HIM HOME!

I think everywhere we went there were screaming kids but that one stands out the most. It reminds me of why I am not fond of most other people's kids. lol

The good -

This weekend in Macy's I was in an aisle looking at something when a father pulls his quietly sobbing son into the aisle to talk to him. Turns out the kid's balloon animal had popped. Dad was reassuring the boy that it would be ok when his older brother came up and said "you can have mine". Awww....

We had to run to Toys R Us yesterday to grab a barbie car for DBF's neice. On the way out there were 2 men with 2 shopping carts full of toys. They stopped at the toys for tots box/person. We were expecting them to donate one. But they bought EVERYTHING for the charity. All toys were donated. That almost made me cry.

 

[wdwmom2]

Were you up in Hagerstown??? I am headed to go out shopping now, hopefully it will be a peaceful shopping trip!!!

And what a wonderful thing those men did donating all those toy to children may otherwise not get anything for Christmas!

 

[just4today]

I was at Walmart recently and endured about 15 minutes of two children screeching and running through the electronics department. I was pretty close to going over and saying something to them to stop running, but didn't. A few minutes later Mom came back to where they were. Apparently mom had deposited them there to look at the movies and games while she went elsewhere?? Now, instead of screeching and running, they began screeching and whining about wanting to go home while mom told them to shut up.

I thought about coming home and starting a thread patting myself on the back for not saying anything, but then I thought the DIS might implode with another screeching-kid-at-Walmart thread.

 

[wdwmom2]

Were you up in Hagerstown??? I am headed out shopping now, hopefully it will be a peaceful shopping trip!!!

And what a wonderful thing those men did donating all those toy to children may otherwise not get anything for Christmas!

OK, something funky here. How did this repost happen????

 

[mtdevine615]

If I didn't know better I'd swear that you were at the same target we were at yesterday. I thought the Mom with the crying buy was following us. We finally managed to loose them.

 

[Darsa]

We went to Edaville Railroad this weekend, and there's a ride there called "The Scrambler". DD and I were waiting on the ride for it to be loaded and start, and there were two kids, probably about 6 (boy) and 3 or 4 (girl), standing at the fence and just waaaaiiiiiilllllling, over and over and over, because they were too short to go on. Their mother and older sister were on, and their father was with the 2 wailing kids. He ended up taking ahold of the 6 year old and dragging him off, leaving the younger girl standing there, still wailing. DD and I were horrified at the sight of that little girl there all alone; we couldn't see the mother because she was in the car behind us, but we didn't hear her say anything at all. The father came right back and dragged the younger girl off to the bench a little ways away where the boy was sitting, still wailing...

Apparently this is "holiday spirit"

 

[Piglet]

Hey - I shop in Hagerstown!!! Didn't know there were any Disers that close.

 

[pigletgirl]

Aw, the good stuff definitely outweighs the bad!!

 

[wvjules]

I was in Frederick, not Hagerstown. I only go to Hagerstown for Old Navy and the Outlets.

The brother offering his balloon to his brother was so heartwarming. I really wanted to tell that dad how great his kids were.

 

[MIGrandma]

The bad -

While in Target there was this screaming 6 (?) year old boy. His mother was pulling him by the arm through the aisles and carrying him other times. He would get away and run away screaming. She would chase him down and caryy him screaming again. We moved to a different part of the store...they were right behind us! Finally we couldn't take it anymore and just left our stuff and headed back to the front. Somehow they managed to beat us to the front of the store and were up there shopping. It was time to go home! Honestly, you could hear the kid all throughout the store. When your kid is having that bad of a meltdown TAKE HIM HOME!

I think everywhere we went there were screaming kids but that one stands out the most. It reminds me of why I am not fond of most other people's kids. lol

The good -

This weekend in Macy's I was in an aisle looking at something when a father pulls his quietly sobbing son into the aisle to talk to him. Turns out the kid's balloon animal had popped. Dad was reassuring the boy that it would be ok when his older brother came up and said "you can have mine". Awww....

We had to run to Toys R Us yesterday to grab a barbie car for DBF's neice. On the way out there were 2 men with 2 shopping carts full of toys. They stopped at the toys for tots box/person. We were expecting them to donate one. But they bought EVERYTHING for the charity. All toys were donated. That almost made me cry.

I'm just giddy that it happened in Target, for all those people who think things like that ONLY happen in Wal-Mart!

 

[anniemae]

Eh, screaming kids are the norm this time of year. They are over-stimulated, over-tired, over-excited etc. for Christmas.

I always feel bad for the parents of screaming kids. Sometimes kids just melt down. Even the best ones She should have taken him outside to calm down though instead of dragging him through the store.

That's why I try to avoid stores this time of year on the weekends if I can help it, they are way too crowded. I could not believe how many people were in Walmart yesterday, I just needed a couple of things but when I saw all the cars in the parking lot I turned around and left. I would rather go at night after work when the crowds are lighter, and the kids are in bed!

 

[MickeySP]

We had to run to Toys R Us yesterday to grab a barbie car for DBF's neice. On the way out there were 2 men with 2 shopping carts full of toys. They stopped at the toys for tots box/person. We were expecting them to donate one. But they bought EVERYTHING for the charity. All toys were donated. That almost made me cry.

How wonderful!! And just reading this made me tear up! I brought back $150.00 from a vacation I think I know what to do with it now.

 

[KAMLEM]

How wonderful!! And just reading this made me tear up! I brought back $150.00 from a vacation I think I know what to do with it now.

That's very kind of you.

 

[wvjules]

I'm just giddy that it happened in Target, for all those people who think things like that ONLY happen in Wal-Mart!

Strangely enough there were no screaming kids in Walmart. There were in Giant Eagle and Michael's though.

How wonderful!! And just reading this made me tear up! I brought back $150.00 from a vacation I think I know what to do with it now.

Wow, that is very generous and awesome of you.

 

[~disneydiva~]

This happened last year. I was volunteering with the fire/police dept. for Blue Christmas and a 9 year old boy had just won a bike at school. He had just got a new one, so he had his dad drive him to the fire station where we were sorting the toys and he donated the bike he had won.

 

[minkydog]

Eh, screaming kids are the norm this time of year. They are over-stimulated, over-tired, over-excited etc. for Christmas.

I always feel bad for the parents of screaming kids. Sometimes kids just melt down. Even the best ones She should have taken him outside to calm down though instead of dragging him through the store.

That's why I try to avoid stores this time of year on the weekends if I can help it, they are way too crowded. I could not believe how many people were in Walmart yesterday, I just needed a couple of things but when I saw all the cars in the parking lot I turned around and left. I would rather go at night after work when the crowds are lighter, and the kids are in bed!

I agree. We don't know what the real situation was with this kid (just a brat or is he perhaps on the autism spectrum) Either way, his mom should have just packed it in and gone home, he clearly wasn't able to manage himself in the store. I do sympathize with her a bit, though. My youngest, Christian, is mentally handicapped and autistic and while he rarely has a screaming fit, he will try to break away and go careening through the isles, knocking stuff over and running into little old ladies. Christian has the mind of an 18 month old so he doens't mean to create chaos. He's bigger and stronger than me and I try hard to not have to go out alone with him. But there are times when I *must* take him with me because I don't have anyone to leave him with and I *have* to go to the store. I dread those shopping trips and I make them short and sweet because nobody else should have to put up with his shenanigans, I don't care how handicapped he is.