I ain't no parent but...

[Gemini Cricket]

I don't know whether is belongs in the Parking LoT or not but here goes.

I'm at the T (subway) station this morning. The train's coming. It's crowded. Twentysomething dad is running towards the platform. His daughter, five years old, is lagging behind. She's lagging behind because she is... oh how can I put this lightly... fingerbanging herself at a turnstile. Dad turns around, smacks her hand away from under her skirt and says, "Dang, girl! Why you always gotta be playing with your junk in public?"

Her junk? Is that what we're telling our daughters to call it now?
Not only that, but she's really young. She has no idea what she's doing. So, just announce to the whole T station that your daughter is... you know... The girl looked like at that very moment in time she learned to be ashamed of her "junk". Sheezus Christ.

What would I have done? Hmmm, yeah. I would have pulled my little girl aside to someplace private then and there and said, "Hillary Kylie Starchild, let's have a talk." At no time would I call her vagina her junk and I would never embarass her in public like that. Not to mention that he was treating her like she does this all the time. Maybe the talk is wayyyy overdue?

Grrrrr. Why do I encounter all the weirdos? I mean, other weirdos?

:D

[Ponine]

My twenty cents?
a twentysomething Dad should be fully capable of carrying said five year old, not "running towards the platform" with the child lagging.

The only person I have in my life who calls their privates "junk" is an african american wanna be gansta who knows he isnt part of the in crowd, and seems to think he should be, and thats what he calls his sons penis when he grabs himself before he needs to use the restroom.

But yes, it sounds like the talk was overdue. I thought that was a ... three year old thing, that keeps going if you dont educate them. Other moms?

No, typically, at least in my circles, we dont call a vagina, 'junk'. You either call parts by their textbook name, or you says 'privates'.

And although it may have seemed like it, chances are he's called her out in public before, and it has yet to sink in.

and why you? You encounter the wierdos because you are aware.
No one else looks around, or notices.

[Chernabog]

Hillary Kylie Starchild??!!?!?!

OMG Gemini yeah that is gross. Not as gross as the dad holding up his little boy over the drinking fountain at the Indy exit.... but gross. :D

[SacTown Chronic]

Sweet shame, where would we be without you?

[Gemini Cricket]

Sweet shame, where would we be without you?
Sounds like a song, Sac. Sing us a few bars...

[SacTown Chronic]

Oh, and I know a two-year old girl who plays with her left nipple (hand under shirt -- in through the neckline) when she's watching tv, daydreaming, or sleeping. Cracks me up.

[Moonliner]

oh how can I put this lightly... fingerbanging herself


Lightly?


As for the dad, don't judge a book by one sentence. I know there are times when an outsider would have thought I was nuts/abusive/bad parent if they happened to catch me at the wrong time. Parenting is a full time job and everyone has a bad moment now and then.

Oh who am I kidding, this dad was obviously a low life turd. However judging from the many fine stories posted over in the screwed up family thread, having a neanderthal for a dad does not mean the kid won't turn out to be a swanky adult. I say we put the username "FingerJoy" on hold just in case it's needed one day in the future. :)

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Hillary Kylie Starchild??!!?!?!

OMG Gemini yeah that is gross. Not as gross as the dad holding up his little boy over the drinking fountain at the Indy exit.... but gross. :D


As I understand it, it's pretty normal for a child to discover and not understand the appropriateness of self-touch. The only gross part in my opinion was the gross misparenting. Oy.

[scaeagles]

I say we put the username "FingerJoy" on hold just in case it's needed one day in the future. :)

I now have a need to change my brand of golf shoes...."Footjoy" just isn't going to be acceptable now.

[Mousey Girl]

Nickolas went through that stage at 4-5. I tried everything to get him to stop. Then I found a worry stone. I would send him to school with a worry stone in his pocket, that way he had something else to do with his hands. It worked perfectly.

[Gemini Cricket]

Nickolas went through that stage at 4-5. I tried everything to get him to stop. Then I found a worry stone. I would send him to school with a worry stone in his pocket, that way he had something else to do with his hands. It worked perfectly.
That's brilliant! :)

[Not Afraid]

I think we have a new nickname for one's weiner. ;)


Damn, your worry stone is rock hard!

[Gemini Cricket]

Yeah, I can just picture it now.
"You want me to rub it to make your worries go away? Uh, yeah."
:D

[tracilicious]

Ugh! I hate seeing things like that. I'd be tempted to send some shame in his direction with a few well chosen loud remarks. Then, I'm sure you are a better person than I am, GC.

I think that stage can hit anywhere between 3-6. As with anything, you can tell a child it's only appropriate in private about a million times before it actually sinks in. Still no excuse for his behavior.

Mousewife, that is brilliant! Way to go with creative parenting! :)

[MouseWife]

Ugh! I hate seeing things like that. I'd be tempted to send some shame in his direction with a few well chosen loud remarks. Then, I'm sure you are a better person than I am, GC.

I think that stage can hit anywhere between 3-6. As with anything, you can tell a child it's only appropriate in private about a million times before it actually sinks in. Still no excuse for his behavior.

Mousewife, that is brilliant! Way to go with creative parenting! :)


Hee hee. I am sitting here reading this thread and thinking wow, I have never gone through this....

I read Mousey Girls' solution and thought that was pretty brilliant {and also thought of all of the grown men I see playing with change in their pockets....:eek: }.

So, alas, it was not I with the brilliant idea.

But seriously, I never had to deal with this issue. Well, not 'fingerbanging'.

And I'll leave it at that....

[Mousey Girl]

lol he had to take the stone out of his pocket first.

[wendybeth]

lol he had to take the stone out of his pocket first.

Whew!

I couldn't help but be reminded of my Philosophy of Ethics prof who would meander back and forth in front of the class, lost in a philosophical revery, and all the while his hands in his hippy velour pants absentmindedly playing pocket-pool.

[Mousey Girl]

The whole idea was to break the habit of him having his hands in his pants. Now, if I could just get him to stop mooning me every night my life would be complete.

[scaeagles]

I couldn't help but be reminded of my Philosophy of Ethics prof

My Philosophy of Ethics professor committed suicide while I was in his class. Not in class, but out in the forest near Flagstaff.

[Gemini Cricket]

Ugh! I hate seeing things like that. I'd be tempted to send some shame in his direction with a few well chosen loud remarks. Then, I'm sure you are a better person than I am, GC.

I thought about saying something and then I thought, 'Well, what exactly could one say?' So, I didn't say nothing. I guess I could have given him my disapproving arched eyebrow look... but he was running around and difficult to get eye contact with. Meh.

[MouseWife]

GC~ sometimes it is really hard to keep in what you want to say.

Mostly I deal with teens running around Target on half days. They came in and bought squirt guns and water balloons. I didn't think anything of it, of course they would all get wet but....

Little did I know they would squirt one another {not the same kids} insidethe store!!!

You know 'WTF do you think you are doing you little shiets?' is what I wanted to say but all I said was 'There are no squirt guns allowed in the store. Please take that outside'.

Or the young couple who came in wearing baseball caps, hoods, and dark sunglasses...to buy a pregnancy test kit.

Or the three young boys who bought a box of colorful condoms...I had heard them talking 'Here's my dollar for my share....' I didn't have a clue and when they came through all I could think about was the 'Summer of '42'. {is that it?}

It is hard to bite your tongue. Sometimes mine bleeds.

{oh, and I won't even get into the awful things I see, these things are just sort of funny...like the guy/girl coming in buying a cd, bottle of wine, and condoms...I wanna say 'Oh, someones going to have a good night tonight...'}

[Gemini Cricket]

Totally.

And lots of times I think of really good one liners wayyyy after the fact.

See, here I can think for a second and respond funny. In person, I'm like... duhhhh. :D

That's a funny story, MW! :)