Perhaps Bob-Bob Needs a Time Out-Out

I would like to think that my tolerance of misbehaving children in public places has gotten better since I became a parent myself. However, some situations would push anyone over the edge. This is one of those situations. It happened at Target at approximately 5 pm. As I was turning into the diaper aisle, I hear a crash come from the children's clothing area, followed by a cute three year old boy running down the aisle. Then I hear his dad say, "Come here, Bob-Bob . . . Bob-Bob, come here." (To protect the innocent, I have changed the boy's name, but it was very similar to Bob-Bob.) His dad doesn't seem to be too worried, as he is not raising his voice - he is more pleading with the boy to behave.

Bob-Bob did not wish to "come here" and took off down another aisle. For the rest of my trip around Target, I heard variations of "No-no, Bob-Bob," "Oh, Bob-Bob," and "Come here, Bob-Bob," in the same sing-song voice. Both of his parents seemed to be present in Target and both seem to subscribe to the same "gentle" method of child-rearing. For his part, Bob-Bob's behavior got progressively worse (although he did not throw the screaming fit I was expecting) but his parents continued to talk to him as if he were a cute misbehaving puppy. Surpise, surprise, Bob-Bob did not react to his parents at all. I'm not saying they need to scream and yell at him. But, perhaps a deeper tone, or some threat of consequences for such behavior was necessary. Or perhaps a trip to the car for a little time out-out for Bob-Bob.

I lost the family somwhere between the garden supplies and the check out lanes. Just as I was swiping my credit card, I saw Bob-Bob streak by me. By this point, he was set to full tilt and was running around the check-out lanes with one shoe on. Who knows where the shoes he wore to the store ended up because the shoe he had on was dragging its pair and the Target price tags. His mother finally caught up with him near the soda case. She opened it up and took out a Sprite. She said, "Oh, here, Bob-Bob, here's your Sprite. There you go."

She handed a three year old child a 20 ounce bottle of FULL SUGAR soda after 5 pm. No wonder Bob-Bob can't behave himself in public. I hate to think of what Bob-Bob will be like when he is 15.