I ain't no parent but...
 

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

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.

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

Sweet shame, where would we be without you?

Sounds like a song, Sac. Sing us a few bars...

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.

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. :)

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.

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

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.