The scene: Walmart
The characters: 11 yr old boy, mom, siblings (16, 14, 2 and 6 months old) grandmotherly types, customers, employees, security guards
You're in the checkout line. There's a mom and five children ranging in age from 6 months to 16 years old in line ahead of you....
11 yr old Boy: (suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, starts screaming): Nooooo, we can't get in line you fool!" (then repeats over and over): "I need a toy, I need a toy" (till it sounds like this kid is gonna hyperventilate.
Customers, grandmotherly types, employees: look over like WTH is wrong with that child? With that Mother?
Mom: "No, you did not earn it."
(Boy starts charging at mom (shoulder in the stomach kinda thing, like a football player)
Mom: This is not acceptable behavior and starts making signs of no and stop
Boy (starts scratchimg and clawing at mom) and screams: "But I WANT a TOY!"
Customers, grandmotherly types, employees: are looking to see WTH is that Mom doing to her child? He sounds like he's being killed! Looks of astonishment and bewidlerment on their faces...
Mom finishes purchase and gets the boy into the lobby area
Boy: (starts to run back into the store, screaming) "LEGOS, I need my LEGOS"
Mom gets the boy back to the lobby while asking older siblings to take younger siblings outside and into the vehicle.
Boy: (lays down in the lobby, scratching, kicking mom), screaming in words that are not telligble...
Two security guards sent to lobby by employees to "supervise" but do not get invovled
grandmotherly types, customers: walk by to rubberneck to see if they can figure out what is happening...again with looks of bewilderment on their faces ...while giving mom that 'OMG get control of your child you lazy mom' look...
Mom: (turns back on child ignoring the attention seeking behavior): "Sorry you did not earn buying more legos"
Boy: (Screaming in a monster like voice): I will KILL you you dumb ass!
boy is very upset and starts to physically attack mom...mom starts to head to the parking lot figuring the boy will follow...
A driver refuses to stop at the stop sign so mom has to stop...boy runs back into the lobby of the store...
Boy sees mom coming towards him and starts to claw and scratch again...mom walks away while still remaining within arms' reach of boy
Boy: (in very loud voice): I will scratch you and KILL you...
Boy catches a piece of mom's arm, drawing blood...
Boy tries to run back to the store...mom stops him, both nearly get hit by a car because they are in the crosswalk and cars just don't want to stop!!
Finally, the boy is loaded into the vehicle...
Customers, employees, security guards, grandmotherly types: why are they parked in a handicapped spot? None of them LOOK disabled! Look of disbelief and disgust on their faces!
Boy: continues to scratch and talk 'schmack' to mom...mom ignores it...by the time they arrive home (10 minutes later) boy is much calmer...
Boy exits the vehicle and goes to the mailbox: "You stupid fool" rips the mailbox off of the post
Mom and dad do a two person restraint hold on the boy to bring him into the safe haven of his home...
END OF SCENE ONE :) :(
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Now truly try to imagine that you were a witness to this scene...Would you
a) get involved and offer assistance
b) call the police or ask security to get involved (hey, it's happened before!)
c) give the mom dirty looks and 'tsk, tsk' at her for not controlling her child
d) ignore it
e) have pity on mom giving her a sad look
f) wonder if the child has a disability -- but he doesn't LOOK disabled -- that causes him to act that way and give kudos to the mom for knowing how to handle it before it escalated to boy tearing down the store displays (that's happened before too!)
I bet no one answered F...
4 comments:
OMG Tracy- I am so sorry!!!! To your question, I answered F....but I have worked with many disabled children, and totally give you kudos for living through it 24/7.....
As for your picture, well, I still don't see anything, but I am not giving up hope....tomorrow morning I will be excited to see your new pic, and a temp rise again....
HUGS
~S
Tracy, Knowing you has led me to be able to answer F. Thank you! You ARE a GREAT mom!!!
Oh, man! I don't know how you do it. I'm always so stressed with the two I have. I should be grateful and shut my mouth.
I answered F because my mom works in an autistic unit at a school. She's told me many stories like yours.
Ugh I know all too well how this goes! Once Jack was banging his head SO hard on the floor in the pharmacy area of walmart the floor shook under your feet. Everyone looked at me like I was satan for not intervening.... he was craving that stimuli and I had to let him get it, I can read him well enough that I will jump in before he harms himself really, but ugh the dirty looks.
Or sitting in the clothing area on the floor with him on my lap restraining him while he screams like someone is killing him. That's alwasy fun. And he's only 5.... can't wait til he's bigger than me!
many hugs girl!And I totally would have said F hehe.
Kat
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