But this afternoon was frustrating. I went to Starbucks to work. Took the macbook and my headphones and was working away. This particular Starbucks does not have a lot of inside seating, and since I had notes and didn't want to sit right next to the door, I set up on the one big table that had four chairs around it.
In comes a woman with two small boys. Small, don't ask me ages. I am guessing 3? Pretty good on their feet but a little scary with the knives and forks and drinks. She comes up and asks me if they can sit on that side of the table. I initially think she just wants to borrow the chairs, but then agree that she and the kids can share the table with me. But then I see the drinks and get a little nervous.
I move my laptop a little farther away and also to give them all more room. I keep working. Kind of. I am tensed and ready to lift the laptop at the first sign of spillage. Finally, I realize that is a bad idea and put the laptop away and just read on my notes. Which would be fine but the kids keep kicking the table legs. Mommy dearest continues to talk to them about their day.
At first, I was fine with it. I thought, she is probably a little hectic keeping these two from enlisting or something. Least I can do is be accomodating. But the leg kicking continues. And after the little dears finished their banana bread or whatever, she goes to get them another piece. She keeps encroaching on my space and finally I decide that I would be better off working at home.
Was it just me? I tried. I honestly did. But she never once asked them to stop kicking the table. She never once--after asking for the chairs--said anything to me. True, I had the headphones in, but come on. I don't think it was asking that much for her to try to keep them from ruining my coffee. Hell, I was trying to be nice.
Sigh.
13 comments:
Starbucks is no place for children. Hot coffee and rambunctious kids don't mix.
I wonder if she lets her kids kick the table at home?
Manners seem to have become extinct in the last thirty years. Such a shame.
No, it wasn't just you. As a mom who takes her kids (older, yes, but I've been doing it for a while) to Starbucks, the woman's behavior was just plain rude. The kids get a pass, because they don't know it's rude unless they've got a mom or dad telling them so.
On behalf of coffee-shop frequenting moms everywhere, I apologize for your disrupted day.
I agree. I made a point of being nice to the kids because they really don't know the difference. But the mom is another story. So I told her off.
No I didn't.
You should have told her off. Just like I should have told another mother off a few days ago. My 3 yr old son was at a birthday party, eating his pizza, drinking his juice. Another kid gets his cup, loudly announces that he hates juice, and pushes the cup across the table. The juice spills...all over my son. Shirt, pants, drenched down to his underwear, hysterical crying and sticky. Now while the mother tells her son that he shouldn't push the juice, she neither makes him apologize, nor does she offer one herself. Yes, she helped clean the spill and offered my son her kid's spare pants. But how about an apology?!? Your kid just drenched my kid because he was acting like a little snot. Maybe say you are sorry for getting my kid all wet and sticky? So many parents these days are oblivions! They wonder why their kids are getting in trouble and acting up. Look in a mirror! They act out what they learn at home.
I didn't see anyway to say anything that wouldn't cause the kids more problems. She got the drift that I was annoyed, though I suspect that given her self-centered behavior before, she probably misinterpreted it.
Oh well. That does happen.
. . . given her self-centered behavior
Sounds like most people who frequent Starbucks.
Just kidding. A little.
Wow, I almost used a different part of the comment moderation page.
Am I in danger of being ban-inated?
That seems about right.
Sorry. Too self-involved to respond.
"Careful, the beverage you're about to enjoy is extremely hot."
"That seems about right."
Streak, You lie! You don't like my children. When we went skiing a couple of years ago you pushed T. down the hill. I cannot tell the world what you did with S. and the goats next door. :) Just kidding everyone.
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