Not a kid person

So, I have known this about myself for a while now, but today it was solidified. I'm not a kid person. I love my own kid, I love my nieces and nephews, I love my friend's kids, but I'm not a kid person. I don't like to babysit and I don't like public play areas because I don't like OTHER kids. While they're very cute, have funny things to say, and still deserve respect as human beings, most are not very well behaved. In just one hour sitting in chick-fil-a where Kara was playing I saw:
* a kid screamed bloody murder at his table just because he was excited. It KILLED my ears - since I have a cold they're sore anyway.
* a kid had a full blown temper tantrum and his mom tried reasoning with him. He threw an absolute FIT and she stood in the middle of the restaurant trying to reason with him for like FIFTEEN minutes. (She should have just left - tantrums happen and are difficult to reason with.) It was so bad a guy at the table behind me yelled to her that he needed a spanking.
* a kid was "playing monster" in the children's area and was just screaming in other kids faces and scaring them half to death until they all ran out crying to their parents. Then that same kid came out and started screaming in adult's faces.

Yes, there were some good kids there. Yes, some kids have special needs and we all need to be mindful of that (but none were there today). Yes, God loves every one of them and created them in His image. Yes, kids are human beings and act up and we've all been there as parents and have to decide how we're going to handle it. A "kid person" would have looked past all that stuff and not been annoyed. (For example, the lady I was there with. She wasn't annoyed and actually encouraged the temper tantrum mom, while I was biting my tongue the whole time trying not to yell what that guy yelled - he needs a spanking!!) I guess I'm not a kid person because I see no need for that kind of behavior and I didn't enjoy that. :-(

Comments

Kattrina said…
No - I don't think that's true that a kid person would be ok with that behavior. I love kids, absolutely love them. I loved all the little kids I taught in Honduras, I love my nieces, I love all the kids I teach in my golf class, etc. However, my brother's-in-law kids are horrible, bratty, spoiled, and incredibly badly behaved. Case in point - when my sister was in labor a few weeks ago we were all in the waiting room and the two girls (5 and 7) broke out in a fist fight. In the waiting room! In the L&D of a hospital! And the parent's did nothing but pull them apart! So, even though I love kids, I do NOT love all kids, especially badly behaved ones.

So, I think you are a kid person!
jessicaday said…
Kattrina, can I just say how much I like you? You are always so supportive of me! Thank you!! :-)
Elisabeth said…
I agree with Kattrina. You can love all kids without loving the way they behave sometimes. It just takes special people to work closely with them and to know how to deal with them properly. I love kids and enjoy teaching SS and children's church just because I like being around the kids and know they need to be taught but I hate it when they are misbehaving.