In Which I Rail Against Society

Dear Lazy Parents;

I think you are rude. There I said it. You are lazy, rude and discourteous. And I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for ruining my enjoyment of my daughter’s choir concert. I realize that from where we were sitting it would have been hard to hear anything anyway, but it was downright impossible to hear over the basketballs. To your children’s credit, they did stop playing ball when my dad scolded them. Some of them even brought their balls and sat down.

But to the really thoughtless parent who let their child run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and… You really frosted me.

I, of all people, understand that it is hard to make your child(ren) sit still for an hour. I understand that children get fussy. But let me assure you that letting them RUN around in a concert is the WRONG thing to do. I had to scold my 6 and 4 year olds several times. Next time we sit through something (admittedly tedious) it will be somewhat easier for them and for all those around us.

Let’s just do a little social supposition here:
Suppose you never tell your 2 year old “No” when they demand to run around at inappropriate times. That 2 year old will become a 4 year old who demands to be allowed to do whatever they want- LOUDLY. They will become a wild and unmanageable 6, 8, and then 10 year old. At some point this child may even be bigger than you. Believe me, they will know when this happens.
Said big child will take to stealing things- because no one ever made an attempt to harness this child. Said child will take to running away, using drugs, felony, and possibly murder. The parents of said child will still be totally clueless. They will even blame society for the mess that they have created. BUT IT WILL BE THEIR OWN FAULTS.

So, yes, I know that setting boundaries around your children is hard. But it is much harder to deal with your own failure at a later date.

And let me just say, one more time, Thank you for ruining my child’s concert with your rudeness. And yes, I am blaming you, the parent of the running 2 year old, and not your child.



P.S. Could you please forward this to all your friends who sit in the video venue at church and let them know that we do in fact have a nursery if they really want to allow their children to run and play during church. OOH, and have them pass it on to their friends who stand in the hall and kitchen and talk (not whisper) just because we are not actually in the sanctuary. Thanks.