I. Hate. Small. Children! >:(

[lady_zana]

I understand your frustration with unruly children. I can't stand them either. I'm just not a 'kid' person....a lot of people tell me when I say that that it's simply the parents' fault and that I don't like unruly children but the truth is I don't relate well to them.

My former boss has a toddler and occassionally on her days off, she'd bring him by for a visit. He is a wonderfully mannered baby; if anyone I know should be allowed to have babies, it is her. Everybody would rush over and coo over him, myself included...but in about ten minutes, I'd be looking for something else to do....I just get bored.

My husband's family is very family-oriented; they love to get-togethers for every holiday. Naturally, when we were first married, they started asking when the babies would babies and thought I was strange when I responded, "never." Now, they don't think I'm strange anymore; they know I am! I'm happiest with my cats, my books, and my writing and I don't mind sitting in a corner while the holiday festivites go on around me.

[Cataholic]

Small children, just like the rest of us, have bad days. Sadly, when you work in retail (or other places where children are permitted) you see bad days of lots of small children.

I do not make excuses for my son. He is 15 months old, and, well, let's face it, sometimes he has a 'bad' day! It is my job to circumvent these occasions as well as I can. That might mean leaving my meal on the table, or, the clothes or groceries in the cart (well, he really hasn't been that unruly YET ), but the time will come. I know it. How I deal with it is the problem. Will I immediately rush him out of the store? Probably not...why should I be any less entitled to the place as the drunk, the rude person, the smoker, whomever. But, because I am polite, well mannered, and a decent sort, I will do what I think is best (which is NOT letting Jonah ruin anyone else's meal).

When you keep in mind that he has far less of an ability to 'deal' with social settings as the adults around us, it doesn't seem as bad to me.

And, when I see adults around us smiling at his cute antics, well, it seems worth the risk of taking him out at all. Not to mention child services would be all over me leaving him at home! (JOKE ).

Really, dislike kids all you like, but, we all were ones once (some of us longer than others), and, remember that they will develop into adults, and hopefully not be scarred by all this dislike.