Silence is Golden

I'm sure everyone has heard the story about the guy who recently 'shut someone's kid up' in Walmart by grabbing the child and smacking them repeatedly. I am pretty opinionated about this topic, but not to that extreme.

While I absolutely do NOT believe in touching someone else's child or yelling at them, I DO believe that kids need more discipline or consequences and many many parents are not doing their job (at least in public anyway). I have been in stores where kids run into me without saying they are sorry or 'excuse me'.....and the Mom is standing right there and does NOTHING! WHAAATT??? How about teach your child how to have manners and show respect by saying you're sorry?!
And don't even get me started on screaming, obnoxious kids in restaurants.....It's one thing to have obnoxious, loud kids going crazy at Chuck-E-Cheese or somewhere like that. If you are going to that restaurant, you should expect that. However, if I am going to drop $50+ on dinner at a sit-down restaurant and you think it's "cute" to have your kid wailing, screaming, throwing things, running around, etc. and/or are just trying to 'ignore' them until they stop as a clever parenting tactic, you should be taken out back and...........(fill in the blank).

Why do these parents think that the world revolves around them and their loud children?? What if the couple next to them is having their first 'date night' after having a child and were looking for a peaceful dinner out of the house? Then they get stuck next to your traveling circus of a family who is so wildly rude that you don't even take your misbehaving, crying, screaming, rude child out of the restaurant to discipline them or quiet them - or better yet - LEAVE if they get too out of hand.

It's as if parents think that 'the general public' is their free babysitter when they leave the house. Cashiers, store employees, waitstaff and other patrons are NOT your babysitters, so be a PARENT and keep your child in line!