Parents..would you be mad?

[Zoom]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. Sucks the kid ran full-tilt into the menu but it would have been a lot worse if Fran had put her hands (or foot) out and the kid ran into that. Those parents sound like they'd definitely be the type to yell "SHE HIT MY CHILD OMG!"

Stupid parents and not a good situation to be set up in all the way around.

It's not even so much "oh, it was just a messy kid"...it sounds like this dress was what Fran was wearing AT WORK that day. Would YOU want to be served by someone who had the saucey imprint of a small child plastered on her? I wouldn't.

 

[KenyiGirl]

I am not a hugger person. I don't like being hugged by most people. So Im having a hard time wrapping my mind around sending a 4 yr old sauce-covered child to go hug on a stranger. Its just too weird...

 

[Fran101]

as I said it my first post. it was a reflex, its not something I plan to make a habit of. the kid was running, I was holding the menu already.. and well. ya.

our menus are NOT hard. theres no way that kid hurt himself on the menu, they are exactly like johnny rockets menus, they bend.
they are like this. basically laminated paper

and no, I DID NOT point it at his face! lol im not crazy! I didn't even think he was gonna run into it, but as it was, it was at his chest. it bended a lil bit and thats why he stumbled back a bit.

and no, I DID NOT put it out there with the intention of him running into it. I thought him seeing it would make him slow down/stop

and I did use my words, there wasn't enough time for me to make up a sing along about personal space boundaries, but I did say something to the effect of "no no no, stopp"

he probably wasn't crying because he was hurt.. its not like I smacked him with it and the menu is plastic, unless that kid was SUPER sensitive, theres no way he could've hurt himself... he seemed like he was crying because I wouldn't let him hug me.

Its not that I have ANYTHING against hugs, or hugs with strangers even.
but the free hugs campaign has NOTHING to do with what went on here.
the guy in the video didn't cover himself in mess and then chase people around and hug them

teaching your kids to hug strangers? whatever. thats their call, not something I would teach my kids tho. but I feel like the stranger should be willing at least!

 

[Amber]

Maybe the kid had a little crush on you and his parents were setting you two up? lol Or maybe not.

But, I actually wouldn't be pissed, because A) I wouldn't tell my kid to hug a stranger, and B) I would want them to learn not to hug strangers, and if the kid is like me, it would have to be the hard way (being rejected)

 

[Renee750il]

Slick way to justify a leaving a lousy -- or no -- tip.

Maybe they were hoping for a free meal if they acted offended enough. No one with even half a mind would expect anyone -- especially wearing a white dress -- to stand there and be mauled by a messy marinara wearing 4 year old.

 

[Saeleofu]

Why would she want to teach her kid to go hug strangers? Dangerous much? I think that's ridiculous.

I wouldn't have wanted the kid to hug me either, regardless of what I was wearing.

 

[PixieSticksandTricks]

I would have explained that my rash hasn't quite healed up yet and could be contagious

Thats exactly what i would have done

 

[sparks19]

well... in all honesty I still would have been a bit ticked off about the whole thing. I wouldnt' have sent my child over anyway but besides that. i would still be ticked. I don't know that I would bring it up with the manager or just seeth on my own... but as a parent I would be pissed.

also if it's just a laminated paper how did it make him stumble back?

I definitely think the parents were wrong but I also think your reaction was also an incorrect one.. as a parent.

 

[drmom777]

I am also a parent, six times over, and I think in Fran's shoes, in the flash of a momnent, I would also have defended myself with whatever was at hand. Sparks, try to put yourself in her shoes. You are not at the table, not directly interacting with them. you hear them say something, and all of a sudden this spaghetti encrusted, gooey kid is running at you full tilt. I think blocking with whatever is at hand is a normal reflex.

I put the fault entirely with the parents. I have never tried to get any of my children to hug a stranger, and I never would. It is basically an assault. Even ignoring the dangerous thing they are teaching their offspring, it is totally inappropriate. I don't see why poor Fran has to be asaulted just because it is a child. Ewwwwww.

The parents lost all right to complain with their inappropriate behavior. And I don't see why we are faulting Fran for caring enough to dress nicely for work.

 

[cricketsmygirl]

Honestly, I'd be down right pissed off but then again maybe I'm weird. Perhaps the parents shouldn't have their children hugging random stranger but you work in a place where children are present and the way you handled things IMO was unprofessional. Honestly, if you can't handle children, find a job without them or cease wearing "cute white dresses" I'm sorry but the whole original post sounded like something straight out of a rich snobby brats mouth. No offense.

 

[drmom777]

Honestly, I'd be down right pissed off but then again maybe I'm weird. Perhaps the parents shouldn't have their children hugging random stranger but you work in a place where children are present and the way you handled things IMO was unprofessional. Honestly, if you can't handle children, find a job without them or cease wearing "cute white dresses" I'm sorry but the whole original post sounded like something straight out of a rich snobby brats mouth. No offense.

Any post that has "no offense" in it is inherently offensive.

 

[cricketsmygirl]

As is life.

 

[Zoom]

She's works in a restaurant, not a daycare. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON why Fran should be expected to put up with someone else's kids throwing themselves at her. I worked in restaurants for years and not ONCE did I have a kid come up and hug me, nor did I have parents try to tell their kids to come hug me.

 

[sparks19]

I am also a parent, six times over, and I think in Fran's shoes, in the flash of a momnent, I would also have defended myself with whatever was at hand. Sparks, try to put yourself in her shoes. You are not at the table, not directly interacting with them. you hear them say something, and all of a sudden this spaghetti encrusted, gooey kid is running at you full tilt. I think blocking with whatever is at hand is a normal reflex.

I put the fault entirely with the parents. I have never tried to get any of my children to hug a stranger, and I never would. It is basically an assault. Even ignoring the dangerous thing they are teaching their offspring, it is totally inappropriate. I don't see why poor Fran has to be asaulted just because it is a child. Ewwwwww.

The parents lost all right to complain with their inappropriate behavior. And I don't see why we are faulting Fran for caring enough to dress nicely for work.

I suppose...

but as a parent I'd still be pissed. if it was simply a laminated piece of paper it wouldnt' have sent the child stumbling back first of all.

I've gotten worse things on me at work in a food industry then some spaghetti sauce.

I just think as an ADULT something surely could have been done other than sticking something in between like a menu for the child to run into. I know she didn't do it with the purpose of hurting the child... but if we are claiming she only had a split second to do something why are we expecting the child to stop in that amount of time. and if she said she used a verbal command, saw it wasn't working, and then p ut the menu in between she had more than just a split second. surely she could have moved somewhere... taken a turn before the child got to her... then the child would have to turn which they can't usually do on a dime especially at the last second they usually have to slow down a little bit to take a sharp turn between tables and such and surely fran can move faster than this kid.

I jsut wonder if one of our dogs came up to someone and they stuck a stick in it's face and the dog ran into it would we all jsut be "Oh ok sorry... thanks for sticking that in my dogs face" Ive seen people complain about much less when it comes to peoples reactions to their dog.

I just think as the adults we are resonsible for finding better ways to handle things. The parents were absolutely in the wrong for sending their child over there in the first place but I also think fran was wrong in how she handled it and I would NOT be happy with it.

 

[corgipower]

I jsut wonder if one of our dogs came up to someone and they stuck a stick in it's face and the dog ran into it would we all jsut be "Oh ok sorry... thanks for sticking that in my dogs face" Ive seen people complain about much less when it comes to peoples reactions to their dog.

That is why it is MY job to keep MY dog from running up to someone. Just as it is a parent's job to do so with their child. These parents failed at that.

 

[Laurelin]

I just think as the adults we are resonsible for finding better ways to handle things. The parents were absolutely in the wrong for sending their child over there in the first place but I also think fran was wrong in how she handled it and I would NOT be happy with it.

I agree. I don't think it was handled well on Fran's behalf but it was a weird situation to begin with. I might've reacted pretty fast and badly too, who knows. But I definitely think it could have been handled better.

 

[sparks19]

That is why it is MY job to keep MY dog from running up to someone. Just as it is a parent's job to do so with their child. These parents failed at that.

yet that doesn't stop people from complaining about peoples reactions to their dogs. or when their dog approches another dog.

and YES the parents failed at that... but as I said before. two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[Grab]

If I had a kid and they rudely ran full tilt at someone I'd be fine if that person blocked them. I know a menu isn't going to harm them, even if they fell. Particularly by age four

And if I wasn't watching my dog and they ran up to someone, I'd be perfectly fine with them blocking my dog from jumping on them.

 

[drmom777]

yet that doesn't stop people from complaining about peoples reactions to their dogs. or when their dog approches another dog.

and YES the parents failed at that... but as I said before. two wrongs don't make a right.

Except Fran didn't do anything wrong. It is not wrong to avoid being assaulted by a gooey, unrestrained child, especially one that has been launched at you on purpose. There is a standard of behavior for children at restaurants.

 

[corgipower]

yet that doesn't stop people from complaining about peoples reactions to their dogs. or when their dog approches another dog.

I wouldn't expect people to react to my dog running at them any differently than I would react to an unknown dog running at me. I absolutely would do whatever it takes to protect myself. If that means bodily harm to the dog, so be it. But that also means I cannot and will not expect any less from someone who needs to fend off my dog.

As for Fran's reaction, it was a REFLEX response. She didn't have time to think it through. It's real easy to read a forum thread and post all the alternatives...not so easy to think them up on the fly in a matter of seconds.