I have a story about a hellspawn. Luckily, not one of mine!
I was with Tank, who was in the market for a new TV. Not entirely sure why, the one he has works fine, but... boys and their toys. We've been to many different stores, just looking at what was available, but this story takes place a Hellmart.
While Tank was doing his talking thing with the employee, there was another family about 5 feet down from us looking at a smaller TV. With them, was a 8-9 year old boy who was throwing around a baseball (could of been a softball, I don't know my sports very well, just know it was a ball used in either baseball or softball.) Thing is, he was throwing it at the wall and catching it. They were at the end of the row of TVs, just where there was about a foot of extra wall left over. Parents, of course, wasn't doing anything to stop them.
The employee was a younger girl, no bigger than me (and I stand at a whole 5'0.) She excused herself from our group and went up to the family and said, "I'm sorry, could you please have your son stop throwing the ball? We don't want anything to break."
Mother was having none of it and yelled, "Mind your own business. Jimmy (named changed cause I don't remember it) is doing nothing wrong."
Employee: "Ma'am, he could break a TV and you would be held responsible and have to pay for the damage."
Mother: "Bullshit, that's illegal. Get the fuck out of my face before I have you fired for harassing me and my family."
Employee looked a little stunned, well okay, very stunned. Jimmy (the boy) just laughed and threw the ball some more. Just as the employee turned around (later, we learned to go call her manager) the boy threw the ball so hard, missed it, and nailed the employee right in the head. It wasn't enough to knock her out, but she did have the stunned/dizzy look to her.
I rushed over to help the poor girl out, Tank went over and ripped the ball out of the boy's hand (with much yelling from the mother saying he was trying to steal her son's items), and my son ran to the electronics desk yelling, "SOMEONE'S BEEN HURT!!!!" I was able to see him from where the employee was now sitting on the ground and there were, as luck would have it, another coworker there talking to his manager.
The mother was screaming her head because Tank "was stealing their belongings." She also started demanding discounts because she was "being harassed and bullied." Her husband was no better and demanded Tank be booted from the store for "landing his hands on his precious son, who did nothing wrong, what so ever." (Tank didn't touch the boy, at all, just grabbed the ball that the boy barely had a grip on.) And the kid... he was laughing his ass off for nailing some poor girl in the head.
However, we were able to get the truth out to the manager and the family was escorted out of the store. The girl employee kept saying she was fine, just was a little shocked, but had a nice size bump on her head. The manager had called an ambulance for her though, but we didn't stick around for them to arrive and head the verdict. My kids were complaining about being hungry and wanting lunch. The employee was thanking us for helping her and we wished her the best of luck. Tank even said he might return next week to buy a TV from her (because he liked the one we saw and was within his budget.)
On our way out, my son asks, "Is that why I can't bring toys into the store?"
Yes, dear, it's part of the reason, but even if you did bring in a toy, I wouldn't be stupid enough to let you throw it around.
--Karebear
Ooh, this story has my blood boiling. Good to see Tank is still totally awesome, Karebear.
Let me tell you, the day a kid nails me in the back of the head with a baseball is the day I get my own ass fired, because I'd rip the ball out of the kid's hand myself and throw it in the trash or into the goddamn parking lot. Then I'd be screaming at the parents for allowing their crotch fruit to do such a mean-spirited thing, and shame on them for teaching him that his behavior is the right way to act simply by not correcting it.
Posted by: Mollywobbles | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 09:57 AM
Can we please set that whole family on fire? Would solve a lot of future problems...
Posted by: Madrias | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 10:07 AM
The fact that the kid laughed annoys me even more. I'd really want to whack him 'round the head just to shut him up. But I guess I'd be arrested..
Posted by: PoetryOtter | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 10:19 AM
In about 3 years that mom and dad will be the police station wailing about their preshus shnowflayke being arrested. "Not my kid, he couldn't have possibly done anything wrong! Yes, he bashed in the other kid's skull, but he was provoked! The other kid didn't want to give up that iPhone, so he hit him!"
The whole family is a giant waste of carbon.
Posted by: The Last Archimedean | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 10:32 AM
Good for your own kid for recognizing bad behavior, Karebear! Clearly, you guys are setting the better example for your kids here.
Posted by: CoG | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 10:59 AM
Yet another example of the Oprah/Dr Phil school of parenting. AKA: Don't discipline your child, let society raise them for you.
Posted by: hardwarenutz | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 11:48 AM
Can you imagine what would have happened if their pwecious angel had broken a tv? Lots more screaming, but also getting out of dodge so fast they would have left dust outlines.
This is why stores need ejection buttons.
Posted by: RayvenMoon | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 03:55 PM
Oh if I were that cashier I would have gone in the ambulance AND sued that little asshole for assault.
Posted by: PJA | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 04:36 PM
And this is why I bypass the parents and go straight to the hellspawn. There's been a few times I've directly told kids to stop throwing/touching/playing with things in my store, Screw the parents, they clearly give zero shits.
Posted by: Fluttershy | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 05:07 PM
I'm with PJA on this one, I would have sued the shit out of the family. I just want to reach through the space-time continuum and punch each and every one of them in the face as hard as I can. Of course, judging by their behavior I agree with what TLA said, that kid will probably spend the rest of his life getting in trouble. He'll find out sooner or later that mommy and daddy won't always be able to protect him, especially if he pisses off someone who's not afraid to beat the snot out of him.
Good for you and Tank making sure the employee was alright and getting the family thrown out.
Posted by: NC Tony | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 05:23 PM
I suspect we will see little Sneauxflayke on a future episode of "Cops". What horrible excuses for parents.
Posted by: Book Baby | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 11:17 PM
Yes, "boys and their toys". Just like "girls and their cleaning supplies". I thought we were adults here. Can we please get over the bullshit gender roles?
Posted by: M | Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 11:25 PM
Posted by: ScanGunMonkey | Monday, February 18, 2013 at 08:38 AM
Oh, puleeeze... it isn't "girls and their cleaning supplies". It is "girls and their clothes/shoes". At least get the gender sterotypes right.
Posted by: Zyffyr | Monday, February 18, 2013 at 02:49 PM
Karebear, may I just compliment you on your wonderful family? Not only is Tank completely awesome, your son is a Heaven Spawn! Keep it on!
And I hope that the crustys get the shit sewn out of them, plus the brat gets beaten up when he does sutff like that to the wrong person.
@M: this.
@Zyffyr: Grrrr.
Posted by: Soft Ice Girl | Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 03:33 AM
Oh.My.Word. Definitely a future delinquent. Sounds like that little brat needs to spend a week in boot camp before he spends the rest of his youth in juvenile detention on a fast track to prison. Those kids don't screw around. He may think he's all that now, but the minute he's away from mommy and daddy in a youth facility, they will eat him alive and spit him out into little pieces.
Posted by: Humor_Me | Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 07:22 PM