Really Good Parents
The other other day I bore witness to the absolute worst parenting skills in the land – held high in the public eye for everyone to see.
I was in the subway station beneath Grand Central Terminal (a super big and super busy station) walking toward the shuttle train that would take me across town to Times Square when I noticed a tiny girl (maybe 4 (four) years old) standing very rigid against a column. There was no one around her and from the look in her eyes – she was terrified. I mean – I get a teensy bit nervous walking around the city sometimes – so I couldn’t even imagine how I would feel if I were lost and 4 (four).
I stopped about 20 (twenty) feet away from her to watch to see what the situation was and then I noticed a couple hiding in a spot where the girl couldn’t see them. I kept looking back and forth from the girl to the idiot parents for about 3 (three) minutes and then a woman noticed that there was a scared stiff little girl all by herself in the busy subway station. The woman was headed for the girl to help her out and then the parents decided that it was the proper time to spring from their hiding place to show the girl where they had been hiding.
The girl – who had evidently been stuffing all sorts of emotions down while trying to figure out where her world had taken such a miserable twist exploded in a ferocious fit of screaming and crying as soon as she saw her parents.
Seems pretty bad right?
Well – actually – the worst part for me was that when her parents had shooed the woman away that was coming to their daughter’s aide and finally got to her, they started yelling at her to quit her screaming and crying. They actually got mad at her outburst – after being the ones that drove her to it.
I am still dumbstruck at the whole thing.
Now there's a subway shooting I wouldn't convict.
Kidding.
Maybe.
I see that crap all the time in this subway system of ours. I usually feel the need to switch subway cars when the train stops at a station – it drives me so crazy. It's usually a young (teens/twenties) parent smacking a little toddler at around 11 pm (so past the kid's bedtime) for fussing or fidgeting. That's the only thing worse than a preacher in you(subway) car that won't quiet down or switch to another car between stops.