'Tis the Season for feral children

corollary: Few people know how to conduct themselves in public these days, and it's only getting worse with their kids.


This is the time of year when people are everywhere and they drag their feral beasts with them. 99% of their handlers are raising them to be completely oblivious to their surroundings.

This was demonstrated last night at the botanical garden. I'm a member at this garden, and they light the place up during December. DH and I like to go there at least once before Christmas. It worked out for us to go there last night and we went right at dusk. We knew it would be crowded because it was a weekend night so we got there early.

Feral children started pouring in. People allowed them to run amok all over the sidewalk without regard to anyone else on the path. Now that I've had an orthopedic injury and a bad knee, I'm constantly on the lookout that I'm going to be plowed over by one of these little demons.

One woman's three kids, ages maybe 5-7? were running around all over the sidewalk, then they went into a grassy area and they were running all over that. She said to them in that ineffectual manner, "boys, you need to stay on the sidewalk." I said to DH, "If they are going to run around like feral beasts, they shouldn't be on the sidewalk either," loud enough for her to hear which got me a dirty look.

My DH is a pretty even keel, low key guy and even he said, they need a night for adults only with no toddlers and no strollers. What's the purpose of dragging your kid somewhere to "see the lights" when they are as sentient as a houseplant? A lot of parents were insistent on showing their kids something, in that performative parental voice, only to have the kids scream bloody murder. Give it up already.

People and their kids kept touching shit too, even though there are signs advising them not to. DH saw someone picking a rosemary plant.

We walked around for about 45 minutes and ONE TIME at one of the indoor exhibits, I heard a woman tell her child to look where he was going and she meant business.

DH and I both commented how shitty parents are these days. They are so lazy. Parents of our generation (60-70's) had a LITANY of pat phrases to keep us in line in public:

Look with your eyes only.
Keep your hands to yourself.
Do not run.
Be quiet.
Watch where you are going.

They chose to raise a human. The unsocialized human is a feral ball of selfishness and they have to be constantly reminded how to behave.

My side rant is that we went to my mother's beforehand. She lives in an assistive living type facility for seniors. Doesn't anybody know how to get in/out of an elevator anymore? So many times when I'm trying to get out, people barge right in and kids are the worst offenders. I've had to say, um, I need to get out, excuse me please so many times. John Rosemond made this observation in one of his books too.

tldr: going out in public sucks now, thanks to zero parenting.

My DH and I took our used small sailboat out to the launches last summer. There is a lake near here with an area to turn to straighten out your vehicle so you can back the boat in the water. It is a round peice of pavement there for that purpose.

Humans will use the round area for sitting and looking at the lake and the only way around this is if they do not understand what it means when someone with a boat is behind them is to approach their car and ask them politely to move ahead and hope they don't have a gun or something.

Because of this we are joining a sailing club and putting the boat out there as it is pretty disturbing the way adults act in public nowdays. I have no idea what has happened to the human psyche recently. It is everywhere

I hope it was a good experience other than this!

I was going to go to the local botanical gardens bell_flower, as they are lit up for the holidays. You just talked me out of it (and thanks for this). It isn't worth it.

I live in a part of the country where manners/courtesy simply don't exist. I do my part to be considerate (wait for all those exiting to leave before entering the elevator, stay on my side of the sidewalk, be cognizant of not blocking others in aisles, entrances, exits, etc.). However, I won't accommodate those with bad behavior, I put on a face of obliviousness and keep moving. If they are in the way (blocking me from exiting the elevator, taking up the entire sidewalk, etc.) they will be run over.

Quote

I hope it was a good experience other than this!

It was beautiful and I'm glad we went despite it all. I'm hoping to hit it on a weekday. it's open the first couple of weeks in January and I can go on a skool night.

Quote
bell_flower

My side rant is that we went to my mother's beforehand. She lives in an assistive living type facility for seniors. Doesn't anybody know how to get in/out of an elevator anymore? So many times when I'm trying to get out, people barge right in and kids are the worst offenders. I've had to say, um, I need to get out, excuse me please so many times. John Rosemond made this observation in one of his books too.

If you were in Phoenix or in Arizona, you do have to do the 'elevator dance'. One person, be it the one going in or going out, has to stand in the way of the closing door in order for the door not to close on you both. The signal that you are going to be the 'doorstop' is putting your hand out, palm sideways to signal to the other that you will prevent the door closing on him/her. He or she would thank you, pass you by and nod thanks or say "thank you". You then enter/exit the elevator when the elevator is either empty or the people inside don't attempt to step forward.

Arizona elevators shut fast. Newbies to this state who lollygag at the elevator find themselves having to call it again.

+++++++++++++

Passive Aggressive
Master Of Anti-brat
Excuses!

I live in the Tucson area and I have never noticed this about the elevators. Maybe it's a Phoenix thing?

I've always been annoyed by how oblivious a lot of people are to their surroundings in public. Especially in a crowded place when I have to walk right behind somebody to get where I'm going and they suddenly step back and bump into me. This has happened about a million fucking times. December is the one month I don't shop for non-necessary things either in stores or online. I try not to go out at all in the 5 days or so leading up to Christmas. This is when everything is most crowded and people are most tense and bitchy. The situation improves right after Christmas and I go out then.Generally people don't fuck with me like they used to. Maybe this has something to do with being middle aged instead of young?

ETA: The problem of feral children has been getting steadily worse since the 80's.