I have known parents who would rather pay someone to mind their children while they went to the supermarket than teach a child to behave in a shop. Incidentally I am also appalled when said child is rewarded with a treat for behaving well. Surely that is what should be expected.Â
What really annoys me is when parents open a packet if doughnuts or whatever and give one to the child before they have been paid for. And children standing in the trolley. I once saw a woman pushing a trolley with four children in it and one hanging off her shoulders in a sling.
A few years ago in our local pub, a kid of about 2 or3 was charging all over the place and being completely ignored by the parents. I had been to the bar and was walking back to my table when the kid came charging round the corner and got my knee full in the face. Not surprisingly the kid started screaming but the mother tried to blame me. I did explain the reasons I didn't agree with her and left it at that. As they say "Don't argue with stupid, they will beat you with experience"
Back when life was normal and I could use the bus I looked after my grandson for two days a week. If the weather was OK I would take him and the dog to the park, short bus ride then a short walk and both of them on a lead.
One day, waiting for the bus, my grandson had a small accident with his drink so I looped the dog's lead over the seat to give me a spare hand. Grandson insisted on having his reins looped over the seat too Â
"The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."Â Sir Terry Pratchett
Here’s a photo of my daughter, she’s a child minder,  the children she looks after are trained from a very young age to walk properly and hold on to the pram, and ones that don’t comply get put on reigns until they learn.
She takes them out somewhere nice almost every day, Eden project, Heligan, this is an Arboretum, Â in these gardens they are only allowed to run free in certain places, not run riot everywhere, when you have six under 5 years old there has to be order.
The parents appreciate her discipline and also follow her teaching.Â
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.Â
Never needed reins for Possum. She was either in a pushchair or held hands or pushed a buggy full of plants when we were out and about. I did try reins once, for a visit to England to see friends and rellies and OH's opticians in Watford shopping centre where I put on said reins because I didn't know the place or the people.
She hit the roof.  problem solved when I nipped into a handy pet shop, bought an extendable dog lead.  She held the owner end and OH the doggy end.  That flipping lead accompanied us to his parents in Worcester, my Dad's in Cumbria and all over the local beaches and lakes. We still have it. Â
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I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
And children standing in the trolley. I once saw a woman pushing a trolley with four children in it and one hanging off her shoulders in a sling.
One day, waiting for the bus, my grandson had a small accident with his drink so I looped the dog's lead over the seat to give me a spare hand. Grandson insisted on having his reins looped over the seat tooÂ
She takes them out somewhere nice almost every day, Eden project, Heligan, this is an Arboretum, Â in these gardens they are only allowed to run free in certain places, not run riot everywhere, when you have six under 5 years old there has to be order.
The parents appreciate her discipline and also follow her teaching.Â
She hit the roof.  problem solved when I nipped into a handy pet shop, bought an extendable dog lead.  She held the owner end and OH the doggy end.  That flipping lead accompanied us to his parents in Worcester, my Dad's in Cumbria and all over the local beaches and lakes. We still have it. Â
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border