The worst behaved child I have ever seen.

[Midlodemocrat]

This is a true story. We went on a quickie cruise this weekend to the Bahamas. As we were getting in the elevator to go to our room, a little boy about 4, absolutely angelic looking I might add, came down the flight of stairs screaming at his mom. Things like "I hate you, leave me alone, you are the worst mommy in the world, I wish you weren't my mommy, I hate that you are my mommy". It was truly awful and the collective group gathered to get on the elevators gasped out loud.

Interestingly, when they had descended another flight and were out of earshot, all the 'know it alls' started the comments about 'wash that kid's mouth out, over my knee, etc. etc. etc.

I don't think they took into account the possibility that this was a disturbed child. The look on that mom's face was heart breaking. I have three of my own and taught for a long time and I have never, ever seen a child without 'issues' talk to their parent that way more than once.

[Redstone]

1. That was quite understanding of you...

Sometimes kids just freak out, and it's not the parents' fault.

Redstone

[KitchenWitch]

2. Sounds like there could have been some serious mental illness

involved. I have a friend who is a mother to a son with bipolar disorder and this boy (age 5) gets violent and suicidal. They are working with his meds and his behavior has improved, but it takes a long time.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

3. That's so sad. Poor kid.

Imagine being little and having disturbing thoughts you can't control. :-(

[KitchenWitch]

5. I spent a night over at their apartment

and the boy had a melt down, I literally held him, so he would not harm himself, until we brought him to the ER of the local children's hospital. I have never seen anything like it, it scared the shit out of me, and made me grateful that my own children are mentally healthy.

[xmas74]

4. I took a call

a few years ago where a 7 year old boy tried to stab his mother because she said that he couldn't have a video game (she explained that she didn't have the money). Two days later, he came at her with a kitchen knife.

[blondeatlast]

6. My son will soon be 8 and we just overcame a bout of this.

I hope for their sake it is as temporary as my son's; we went through about two months of pure hell.

Thank you from that mom's heart and mine. You can't imagine how far even the slightest understanding can go.

:hug:

[LoZoccolo]

7. I used to say shit like that all the time dawg!

My parents would piss me off and stuff, that's like pretty normal I would think. I used to tell them I hated them all the time.

[ronnykmarshall]

8. Big deal!

Me: I don't want any of these mother fucking lima beans.

Mom: Now honey, there are starving children in eroupe that would love to have these shitty beans. Now eat the bastards or you're ass won't get any god-damn ice cream.

[Patiod]

9. I used to take care of a monster child

Her mother, a single mom, was diagnosed with breast cancer when the little girl, Demi, was 3. Mom didn't have the energy for ANY discipline. When mom died, Demi was 6. So she had 3 years of running wild, never being told "no".

I used to bring her into supermarkets, and she would lay on the floor and scream (at age 7 or 8) if I didn't want to buy her a "Lunchable". She screamed without stopping once because we wouldn't take back her broccoli and melt cheese on top of it, so we put her out on our deck and let her bellow until she got tired of it.

I used to want to say "Not mine!!!", but I couldn't do that to her. You cannot imagine the looks I got. She told me she hated me ALL THE TIME in public. My tolerance for normal kid behavior has gone WAY up thanks to that.

I still hate little brats whose parents keep saying "Joshua, if you don't stop that, we're leaving" and then he doesn't, and they don't leave. But normal kid behavior? Fine with me.