Before you say it…yes, I broke down. Im so ashamed. I went and ate fast food. Even after my up and down swear off of no fast food, the calling of those freaking french fries is like sorcery.
But we went and budgeted like the cheapest meal we could and then let Charlotte play in the 55 degree weather on the McDonald’s play area like the Parents of the Year we are (this is a precursor post to the my child has the flu ill be talking about next week).
Honestly, I thought I stepped into the twilight zone tonight, but DH was quick to remind me..”no honey, its just Alabama, remember?”
Take #1:
Here I am, trying to choke down every part of my $10.47 meal and my back is to this guy, his 8ish year old son, an older guy and what probably was his 15ish year old son.
Here is the conversation:
Dad/Asshole: “You better shut the hell up”
Boy: Silence
Then dad starts up pretty loud again:
“If you dont stop playing with your food, Im going to beat your ass”
We cant hear the little boy, but I can guarantee its about dead silent from him. Talking ensues between adults. Dad again:
“Your getting the belt when you get home”
Then dad launches into that he knows better then to wipe his hands on his pants. That’s belt worthy?
WTF.
Then I hear dad say “Did that just fall out of your mouth on purpose?” Boy shakes his head no. A french fry fell out of his mouth. I totally believe it wasn’t on purpose. His dads an ass. This boy probably walks the straightest line possible. Dad says “No, you did it on purpose, your gonna get your ass beat when we get home”.
Then dad proceeds to justify his decision with the friend there. When they get up to leave, everyone is your typical tanned skin, camo wearing, orange hunting jacket, dark brown shaggy hair, good old boy rednecks and this little boy has reddish blonde hair, reddish blond eyebrows, buckteeth and I thought…this boy doesn’t even look like he is remotely related to this guy.
I told Chris that if we were going to leave (but we werent since we were spending some time there playing) I was going to write him up a note on a napkin and hand it to him on my way to the car. I wanted to tell him how he took away his sons, or whomever he was to this mans, innocence as a child and what is the point to take him to McDonalds and buy him a happy meal and then take the toy off to the side…..then threaten and berate him in front of the entire McDonalds for 30 minutes, belittling him and telling him he was going to get a belt and then summing it up by telling him to finish all his milk? I wanted to tell him that if this boy grew up to be a man and walked in and stole his dads shotgun and blew him away, I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised- and I certainly wouldn’t pity him.
And as I sat there and tried to suck the caramel out of charlottes hair that she had managed to get in the ends from her apple dippers, I thought…this may be all this little boy gets in life.
A happy meal…but no happiness.
Take #2
Chris and Charlotte were now both outside running around in the cold (again, precursor to whiner husband who is sick next week, and no, I wasnt outside, I dont go outside when it falls under 74 or over 90) and a phone rings. I look up. It sounds like the McDonalds loudspeaker got a cell phone. Now what jackass put his cell phone in the back near the speakers? Wait..there are speakers in McDonalds ceilings? Then I realize that there is a woman about 4 tables over from me, across the restaurant, whose cell was so loud, I thought it was on megaphone. When she answers it, I can literally hear the entire other end of the conversation. Puhleese, for the love of all that is holy, if you don’t have the courtesy to put your phone on vibrate so the rest of us can be gluttons in silence, at least turn the freaking volume down so the dead dont have to roll over in their graves.
Take #3
Classy looking blond mom comes in with her adorably cute 9/10 year old groomed son and daughter. Everyone is good looking, dressed decent, dad shows up…typical American middle class family, dressed in polos and hair brushed. Then girl says something to mom and mom says, “Don’t bullsh*t me, tell it to me straight.” This may semi sound normal, but you had to see it. I just cant imagine looking at charlotte, atleast before she is mid teenager and telling her not to bullsh*t me.
Maybe that Alfred Hitchcock Barbie wasnt too far off reality…
~Trisha
It amazes me how many wierdos,assholes and etc… there are out there.
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this is yet another reason we just do the drive thur!
I dunno if I could have listened to the belt beating dad for that long without making a comment. Good thing my husband is meaty and looks like he can handle his own, cause I am not tolerant and I have a big mouth.
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Wow, that would help keep me away from the fries. Well, maybe not from the drive thru.
We come from a camo and orange wearing community, even some talking “crap” to the kids (“I’m gonna beat you”) but it isn’t serious and mostly everyone is great with their kids. My dad would threaten to kick his steel toed boot up our a** but he never DID it. But only if we were really bad, not dropping fries out of our mouth, lol.
I think the scary part is that guy did it loudly in front of all those people. Normal people keep it at home. LOL
Maybe the loud phone call is going deaf.
Qtpies7’s last blog post..Thank you, Sensa!
YIKES! It’s really crazy what this world has come to. I’m pretty darn sure kids didn’t treat their parents the way they do now and vis versa. It’s disgusting, disrepectful and out right rude.
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I try very hard to remember that even if I’m not saying it to them they are hearing what I am saying and therefore it is a part of them. My beloved likes to toss the F bomb around when he is with his friends so now I have them all policing him (which of course he hates). Then I get to police them!
When will people figure out that parenting is more than just food and a roof?
I think that last family is from the town I grew up in. All nicey nicey lookin, but total potty mouth. As long as you’re a good Catholic and go to confession, it’s all OK though. Yeah I have some issues LOL.
I’ll admit, my 7yo has caused me to ask “What in the hell were you thinking?” in a very loud voice, but in our own home, not McD’s. This is usually the result of a toilet being clogged (again), something being broken (again), or something else that’s happened for the umpteenth time that I thought we were past. I swear boys cause a lot of collateral damage.
Glad our trip to Chik Fil A only involved slow service and a loud talking play area that terrified our toddler.
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Okey doke, just a quickie: not all camo-wearing folks are jackasses. We loves us some camo, but we are nice to our kids. We only beat ‘em with paddles, not belts. And only when they bin touchin the roadkill again.
OKAY TOTALLY KIDDING. BUT WE DO LOVE CAMO. AND WE ARE NICE PEEPS.
Anyway, THat last scenario is hilarious. Ya gotta love the churchy-churchy outfit and the all-too-Satan mouth. SUCH a nice combo.
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ack!!
I have a hard time keeping my mouth shit in these situations! Who does that father think will teach that boy how to be a man one day, because he certainly is not!!!
Heart breaking
I dont think i would’ve been able to keep my mouth shut with that father. I have zero tolerance for things like that. I probably would have called Child Protective Services on that guy…poor kid..someones gotta be an advocate! I hate parents that are like that, if you dont want to be a parent, there are plenty of people out there who would love your child!
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Wow…what a trip….Alabama and Texas frequently sound a LOT alike.
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ugh, thats heartbreaking. poor kiddo
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Noted. Strong argument never, ever to move to Alabama.
Honestly, I think I would have considered calling the cops on asshole father number one to report him for child abuse.
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Ugh! It’s so hard to sit there when people berate their kids like that. I want to take the little ones home to show them what things should be like. Sigh. We had a similar situation in the waiting room when our 3 week old son was having surgery. I’m worried beyond belief, fighting back the tears at every turn and this little 3 or 4 year old kid was getting screamed at by 3 adults at the same time – all telling him his “f’ing ass better shut up!” I think he said something like – “Mommy can i have a glass of water.” I was so on edge my husband was truly scared I was going to go off on them, which wouldn’t have been good because they were a family of about 12…and none of them would have hesitated to beat me down.
p.s. also can’t ever imagine saying “don’t bullshit me” to my kids any time before the age of 21
I am hating that asshole dad.
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Wow! That’s horrible. Strangely enough, I blogged about our trip to McDonalds yesterday….although I had a much more positive experience.
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